Hear His Story: After 55 Years, Haverhill Vietnam Veteran Alder Receives Purple Heart

(Additional photograph below.)

It took 55 years, but Haverhill Vietnam veteran Kevin G. Alder received his Purple Heart Saturday in recognition of injuries he suffered as a U.S. Marine on patrol in Quảng Nam province.

Alder’s wife Paulette pinned on the Purple Heart after a coalition of veterans and local helpers worked together to secure the solemn distinction in time for Saturday’s iPods for Wounded Veterans and Haverhill Veterans Services’ “give back event.” Alder detailed for WHAV the horrific event in July 1968.

“Someone stepped on a trip wire and set off the booby trap. That was a 155 artillery round so it was a big explosion. It picked me up and threw me in the air. It wounded 20 and killed three people,” he recalled.

Alder said the aftermath of the explosion, including his hospitalization, meant the Purple Heart paperwork was always one step behind him and he never received it.

“We were in the jungle so they had to come in there with tanks to carry us out to helicopters—where a helicopter could land—and then I was medevaced out of there. I ended up in Okinawa at the Army Hospital in Okinawa,” he explained.

Alder credits a coalition of local individuals and nonprofits, including Haverhill Veterans Services Director Jeffrey C. Hollett, 411 Cares and its volunteer Alex Veras for making connections leading to Saturday’s pinning ceremony.

Hollett told WHAV he first became of aware of the long delayed Purple Heart this spring during the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center’s Second Annual Auto Show. He said the state Executive Office of Veterans’ Services was able to confirm Alder’s eligibility.  “They were the key agency. I would not have been able to accomplish this without them,” he said.

Alder, who retired after working 30 years for Haverhill Public Schools, said he was full of emotion when the Purple Heart was finally pinned on him.

“To me, it was like a big relief. To me, it’s part of closure. I knew I should have received this and I never did. To me, it was a closure to get it,” he said.

As for the iPods for Wounded Veterans and Haverhill Veterans Services’ “give back event,” Hollett said “It was a huge success.” He noted 82 veterans preregistered for the event, 55 attended and 121 electronic devices were given to veterans. He thanked Haverhill City Councilor Joseph J. Bevilacqua for his assistance, noting, “It takes a small army, lots of coordination.”