MARIETTA, GA (AP) -
A U.S. Marine from suburban Atlanta has become the first Georgian to receive a Purple Heart under new rules designed to honor military members who suffer brain injuries.
Monroe Seigle, a Marietta native and a senior at Kennesaw State University, was given a Purple Heart during a ceremony Wednesday at Dobbins Air Force Base.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Seigle is the first Georgian to receive the honor since the Department of Defense's 2011 decision to change the criteria to specifically include concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries.
The Marietta Daily Journal reports that Seigle was injured by an improvised roadside bomb while on duty in Iraq in 2006.
He suffered a concussion and was transported by helicopter to a field hospital.
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