On July 16, four unarmed Marines and one sailor were gunned down in Chattanooga, Tenn. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the Navy held off on awarding Purple Hearts to the victims because fallen military members are only eligible for the medal if they are killed by or in the name of a foreign enemy.

Exactly five months to the day, the Navy announced that it will award Purple Hearts to fallen heroes Thomas Sullivan, David Wyatt, Carson Holmquist, Squire “Skip” Wells and Randall Smith after all.

The reason it took so long for the Navy to finally bestow the medals is because it was waiting for the FBI to announce whether or not the gunman was in league with a foreign terrorist organization. The victims of domestic terrorists–such as veterans Chris Mintz, who was injured during the Umpqua Community College shooting, and Ke’Arre Stewart, who was killed in the recent Planned Parenthood shooting–are not eligible for Purple Hearts.

The agency took its time to meticulously investigate the shooter, who hadn’t communicated with Al Qaeda or ISIS but wrote about violent jihad online.

On Dec. 16, the FBI formally revealed that the attack was “motivated by foreign terrorist propaganda.”

“This determination allows the Department of the Navy to move forward immediately with the award of the Purple Heart to the families of the five heroes who were victims of this terrorist attack, as well as to the surviving hero, Sgt. Cheeley,” said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in a statement.

“Although the Purple Heart can never possibly replace this brave sailor and these brave Marines, it is my hope that as their families and the entire Department of the Navy team continue to mourn their loss, these awards provide some small measure of solace. Their heroism and service to our nation will be remembered always.”