TAMPA, Fla. (WWSB) – As Americans celebrate the Fourth of July and the freedoms defended by the nation’s service members, one Army veteran is finally receiving the recognition he spent more than two decades fighting to earn.
More than 20 years after an improvised explosive device ripped through his convoy in Iraq, Army veteran James Callihan has received the Purple Heart.
Callihan, who grew up in Manatee County, enlisted in the Army after high school and deployed to Iraq in 2003.
Army veteran receives Purple Heart more than 20 years after Iraq IED blast(WWSB)
Near the end of that deployment, on Dec. 30, 2003, his convoy was struck by an IED while traveling through Baghdad.
“My Humvee had no doors and a bikini top, so that was life in Iraq in 2003,” Callihan said.
He said a concrete barrier separating traffic lanes absorbed much of the blast, likely saving the lives of the soldiers inside his vehicle.
After the explosion, Callihan immediately helped treat injured Iraqi civilians nearby before he was pulled from duty because of head injuries.
When he returned home, Callihan said he discovered the medical records documenting those injuries were missing, making it difficult to prove his eligibility for the Purple Heart.
“I was kind of caught in a Catch-22,” Callihan said. “You need the medical records to award it.”
What followed was a yearslong effort to reconstruct his case through military records, witness accounts, and the support of fellow veterans and friends who refused to let the issue go.
Army veteran receives Purple Heart more than 20 years after Iraq IED blast(WWSB)
More than 20 years after the blast, the Department of the Army approved Callihan’s Purple Heart in December 2025.
In April, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presented him with the medal during a ceremony before a Tampa Bay Lightning game.
“Getting a Purple Heart, you put something on the line for that,” DeSantis said during the presentation.
Army veteran receives Purple Heart more than 20 years after Iraq IED blast(WWSB)
For Callihan, the medal represents far more than official recognition.
“If I ever end up in Iraq again, I’m going to find that little strip of curb,” he said. “That’s the difference between life and death for me.”
He said the award is a reminder not only of the day that changed his life, but also of the veterans, friends, and supporters who stood by him throughout a more than 20-year fight to ensure his service was properly recognized.
Copyright 2026 WWSB. All rights reserved.