ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A retired Minnesota National Guard soldier is about to receive a Purple Heart, six years after he was wounded in Iraq.

Sgt. Jesse Lund of New Ulm is scheduled to receive the award Saturday at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center.

Lund was wounded in June 2006 when a bomb exploded near his convoy in Iraq. The blast killed another Minnesota soldier, 19-year-old Sgt. Kyle Miller of Willmar. Both Lund and Miller were members of the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment out of New Ulm.

Lund’s former company commander, Army Maj. David Hintgen, says he’s happy that Lund is finally receiving his Purple Heart.

A Minnesota National Guard spokesman says Lund’s application was submitted three times and approved on the third try.

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