Army Captain Killed in Orlando May Be Eligible for Purple Heart: Cook

CPT Antonio D. Brown may be eligible for the Purple Heart.

CPT Brown was a graduate of Florida A&M University Tallahassee, FL with a baccalaureate degree in Criminal Justice. He commissioned through ROTC on August 8, 2008 as a 2LT in the U.S. Army Reserve and was assigned to the 642nd Regional Support Group Decatur, GA. He served on active duty with 1st Special Troop Battalion out of Fort Riley, Kansas, beginning in May 2009, eventually deploying to Kuwait with that unit. In 2010, he received his Master's degree in Business Administration from University of Mary, North Dakota.

He was promoted to captain in March 2012 and was assigned again to the 642nd RSG Decatur, GA before joining 2nd Battalion, 350th Regiment, at Camp Blanding, Florida, that August.

In a statement Tuesday, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that Brown "served his country for nearly a decade, stepping forward to do the noblest thing a young person can do, which is to protect others.

Antonio Brown worked as a human resources manager at a Lowe's in Fern Park, Florida, about 10 miles north of the Orlando city center, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said, "His service both at home and overseas gave his fellow Americans the security to dream their dreams, and live full lives.The attack in Orlando was a cowardly assault on those freedoms, and a reminder of the importance of the mission to which Capt. Brown devoted his life."

Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning said, "It's difficult to convey the pain and heartache I feel for the fallen, those injured, their loved ones, and friends as a result of the heinous act of terrorism and hate in Orlando early Sunday morning. To be blunt, it could have been me. This act of cowardice sought to rend the fabric of our nation, our people, and my community. I promise you it will not; rather, it will almost certainly bring all of us closer together, advancing the tolerance and progress he sought to destroy.
Now, as Secretary of the United States Army, it's even more personal, especially after learning yesterday that one of our own, Army CPT Antonio Brown, was among those murdered."

Rules for the Purple Heart changes:
"Following lobbying by families of the victims, Congress in 2013 added to the criteria for the Purple Heart to make victims of the Fort Hood massacre eligible. At Fort Hood, Nidal Hasan, a U.S. Army major and psychiatrist, fatally shot 13 people and wounded more than 30 others. Hasan was sentenced to death and is being held at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, during appeals.

Congress in 2015 amended the National Defense Authorization Act to expand eligibility for the Purple Heart to include troops killed in an attack where "the individual or entity was in communication with the foreign terrorist organization before the attack," and where "the attack was inspired or motivated by the foreign terrorist organization."