WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Tuesday announced that it opposes legislation being considered this week by the House that would grant a Purple Heart to an Arkansas Army soldier shot to death in 2009 outside a recruiting center in Little Rock.
In a statement of administrative policy issued Tuesday, the Obama administration said it objects to the provision that Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Little Rock, had included in the 2013 defense authorization bill.
The House is expected to take up the bill later this week. It includes language that would have the Department of Defense provide Purple Hearts to victims of shootings at Little Rock and Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.
“The criminal acts that occurred in Little Rock were tried by the State of Arkansas as violations of the State criminal code rather than as acts of terrorism; as a result, this provision could create appellate issues,” the White House said.
Service members are currently eligible for a Purple Heart if they are injured in a combat zone or are a victim of an international terror attack.