Petaluma Marine to receive Purple Heart

Marine Cpl. Steven Kiernan, 20 of Petaluma, will be awarded the Purple Heart Thursday afternoon at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Kiernan lost his left foot and right leg below the knee in a bomb blast in Falluja on May 4 after being in Iraq less than a month. His previous assignment was at Camp David, President Bush’s retreat.

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded in war. Awarding the medal will be Marine Commandant James T. Conway, who will present the medal in his fifth floor hospital room.

Kiernan, an honor student, enrolled in the Marines in 2005 when he was 17, after fulfiling his Petaluma High School requirements early. He finished boot camp in time to come home and participate in the school’s graduation.

He had hoped to wear his dress uniform for the ceremony, but school policy mandated a cap and gown. The issue drew national attention, with Kiernan agreeing to wear cap and gown over his uniform; removing the gown after receiving his diploma and leaving the outdoor stage.