In August, 2009, Chief Warrant Officer Dan Carlson was returning by truck to Camp Bastion in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device just under his seat. He survived, but received traumatic brain injury as well as severe injuries to his lower spine.

After months in the hospital, Carlson completed his tour of duty and retired from the Army in 2013. Returning to his Elgin home in November, he went to see Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission Superintendent Jake Zimmerman to get some help with his benefits.

And that was when Zimmerman found out that the 26-year veteran “had missed his Purple Heart.”

“It’s a big paperwork shuffle (when you retire from the Army),” Zimmerman explained. “For whatever reason, they missed it.”

So Zimmerman decided to apply for the medal on Carlson’s behalf.

There are typically two ways to go about that — filing a request through military records or putting through an administrative request though Fort Knox. The former would take more time but would be more likely to get positive results; the latter required a higher burden of proof.

“We chose the quicker route,” Zimmerman said.

The quicker route included a mountain of support documentation. Zimmerman and Carlson put together a packet, sent it to Fort Knox in March, and on Tuesday, July 29, Zimmerman’s office received by mail the formal proclamation that Carlson has received the Purple Heart.

“It was very difficult to do, and the first we’ve done,” Zimmerman said.

On Wednesday, Carlson and his family came to the Kane County Government Center to pick up the document in an informal meeting with Zimmerman and Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen.

Carlson served 26 years in the Army, 22 of them with Special Forces. He had seen duty in 36 countries and had been tested mentally and physically in ways very few of us have experienced. But on Wednesday, tears welled in his eyes as he accepted the certificate for one of the most recognized and respected medals awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces. The medal itself will be sent after Carlson’s name is engraved on it, and when that happens, Kane County officials are hoping to set up a more-formal presentation.

“I’m very proud of him,” said his mother, Carmen Carlson. “It was really hard every time he was deployed. I was a wreck.”

Now the Burlington Central High School graduate lives in Elgin with his fiancee, Julie, and son, Luke. He’s happy to be home, but the road to recovery has not been easy. Carlson has had two surgeries on his lower back, and while he is gaining movement every day, it was clear Wednesday that he was in pain, even for the short time he was in the chairman’s office accepting the award.

“It’s good days and bad days, you know?” he said.  “Sometimes I commit myself to things I shouldn’t do, working around the house … I’m getting a little itchy at home.”

After his retirement, Carlson enrolled at Northern Illinois University — he has just 12 hours left to complete his bachelor’s degree — but had to withdraw for the semester because of the pain. He’s hoping to complete his college education and find a job.

“I can’t stand very long, but I speak Spanish and I’m a hard worker. I can’t wait to get back to it,” he said. “I have so much to give.”