VFW 11453 presents Vietnam veteran with Purple Heart
CHEYENNE — Though he was wounded in combat during the Vietnam War, U.S. Marines Lance Cpl. Ronald Cooper never received a Purple Heart, an award honoring service members who were wounded or killed in combat.
Led to believe evidence of his actions that would have earned him the award had burned in a fire, Cooper had come to terms with the fact that he would never receive the award for his service.
On Saturday, during an intimate ceremony at Wyoming’s Rib & Chop House in Cheyenne, he was surprised by his friends, family and fellow veterans with the honor of receiving a Purple Heart medal.
“It all means so much,” Cooper told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
While walking through a wooded area in Laos, Cooper found himself and his fellow Marines at a fork in the road. Unsure how to continue, he stopped and asked the radio man behind him to call into the command post for directions.
“Well, I hardly even got that out of my mouth, and things started exploding, and bullets started flying and everything,” Cooper said. “I was standing next to a tree which a bomb went off by. It blew the tree completely down, and I got a piece of shrapnel here on the side of my ear.”
Five of his peers also were injured and evacuated out of the area by helicopter, but Cooper figured his injury wasn’t bad enough to follow, so he stayed behind.
He called for a doctor, got “patched up” on scene and didn’t have it looked at again until he was in a secure area.
“I went to see a corpsman, or the doctor at the time, asked him if he needed to take that metal out,” Cooper said. “He said, no. It was so hot when it went in that it didn’t need to be taken out, and it’s still there.”
Cooper shared his story with his daughter and son-in-law, Wendy and Paul Broussard, during Thanksgiving. After hearing about Cooper’s injury, Paul took it upon himself to look into the matter of the Purple Heart that Cooper should have been awarded.
“I started doing all of the research, sending emails and petitions and everything through all of the organizations within Washington, Quantico and then the VFW,” Paul said. “And you know, little by little, we kept getting some things back.”
Eventually, Paul uncovered the fact that evidence of the incident that wounded Cooper was among some of the only documents to survive the fire that Cooper had believed had destroyed his chance at a Purple Heart for so many years.
After sorting the documentation and confirming the award with the military, Paul was able to begin setting up a surprise ceremony for his father-in-law.
Supported by local VFW Post 11453 and the Wyoming VFW, Cooper finally received the award he earned decades ago.
“He should have had this medal years ago; 1970 is when he was wounded,” VFW Post 11453 Commander James Rish said. “Normally, they present the medal to you when you’re in the hospital, but for some reason (he) didn’t get it. So we have rectified (that) today, I hope.”
Though the event was intended for about 20 people, so many more wanted to show up to support Cooper that the group had to keep pulling chairs into their private room at the Rib & Chop House up until the time the ceremony started.
“(Rish) came up, and he organized almost all of this,” Paul said. “In addition to him, the commander of the Wyoming VFW called me … He said, ‘Whatever you guys need, we’ll support you.’”
Rish was also able to get retired Brig. Gen. Steve Alkire, formerly of the Wyoming Army National Guard, to present the award to Cooper.
“I saw him at church one day and asked if he would like to present a Purple Heart to a Vietnam veteran,” Rish said. “He didn’t hesitate a second. ‘Yes’ was his answer.”
Alkire noted that no one wants to be injured in combat for the sake of earning a Purple Heart, but it is essential to recognize the sacrifice.
The special moment brought up visible emotions for Cooper and his family. Surprised by the honor, Cooper repeatedly thanked everyone for giving him this special moment that he believed he’d never get.
This story was published on May 3, 2026.