CULLMAN, Ala. – After nearly six decades, Richard “Rick” L. Leigeber has received formal recognition of a Purple Heart earned after he was injured while serving in Vietnam.
Leigeber, a Vietnam veteran and 2024 Cullman Veterans Hall of Fame inductee, was presented the medal by Congressman Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, who said the recognition was long overdue.
“It was my honor to present Richard Leigeber of Cullman with the Purple Heart he had earned after being injured while serving in Vietnam,” Aderholt wrote in an April 14 Facebook post. “He had never gotten this token of our nation’s appreciation and I was glad to finally right that wrong. Thank you Richard for your service to our country.”
On May 4, a special ceremony was held for Leigeber at Cullman VFW Post 2214.
In a brief interview at the VFW, Leigeber said, “It’s been a long time coming. I never thought I would be able to get it.”
Leigeber said he first applied for the Purple Heart about 25 years ago but was unable to secure the award on his own. He said the effort later went through Aderholt’s office.
“I applied to try to get it 25 years ago and was unable to on my own, so I did go through Congressman Aderholt,” Leigeber said. “He came through for me and got the Purple Heart presented on honor from the United States.”
The Purple Heart is awarded to service members wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act by an enemy or opposing armed force, according to the U.S. Army.
For Leigeber, the meaning of receiving the medal after 58 years was simple.
“I was grateful,” he said. “I was just grateful for him to be able to get it while I was still alive and be on my record.”
Leigeber’s military service has been recognized previously in Cullman County. In 2024, he was inducted into the Cullman Veterans Hall of Fame.
According to Tribune coverage of that ceremony, Leigeber served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969 with Company A, 4th Battalion, 23rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade in the 25th Infantry Division, known as Tropic Lightning.
His service included Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 in the Cu Chi Valley during the Tet Offensive.
The 2024 Hall of Fame article listed Leigeber’s awards and recognitions as the Combat Infantryman Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 Device, Vietnam Service Medal, 1st Class Gunner for the M60 machine gun and Sharpshooter for the M16 rifle.
The same article noted his continued service after Vietnam, including his life membership in the VFW and American Legion, and his membership in the American Flag Detail for Highway 31.
It also cited his work leading the White Crosses Memorial honoring Cullman’s fallen heroes, fundraising through his love of fishing and supporting the Veteran Memorial Burial Team with the “Slow Salute” for fallen heroes.
Leigeber was also among the veterans recognized during VFW Post 2214’s fourth annual Heroes Dinner in 2017, when more than 40 area veterans were honored in Cullman.
That earlier Tribune report listed him among the evening’s honored heroes.
Asked whether the event that led to the Purple Heart was something he thought about every day, Leigeber said not really.
For much of his life, he said, staying busy kept the memories from being constant.
“The older I get, the more I thought about it, I guess,” Leigeber said. “I kept my life busy all through these 58 years to where I didn’t think about it as much, but as you get older and got more free time, I guess, and you think about it a little more.”
For Leigeber, the formal presentation closes a chapter that had remained unfinished for decades.
After the interview, Leigeber responded quietly to a thank-you for his service.
“Well, I appreciate it,” he said. “Appreciate it and thank you.”
