The defense bill unveiled by Congress on Tuesday included many new reforms, but lacked one special provision–an amendment that would award Purple Hearts to the six active duty military personnel killed in the Oklahoma City bombing.

Since taking office, former Ranger and Oklahoma policymaker Rep. Steve Russell has made it his annual mission to win Purple Hearts for the serviceman slaughtered on that tragic day. He included a provision to awards the Purple Hearts on the House version of the defense bill, but it was dropped in the Senate version. In all likeliness, it looks like Russell will have to wait another fiscal year to get his hands on those elusive Purple Hearts.

“I was disappointed that we could not agree in conference to include the amendment that would award the Purple Heart to the six military victims, who were serving at their duty stations on the day of the Murrah Building bombing,” Russell said. “We will keep fighting to do the right thing for those who gave their lives in duty to our country.”

Russell’s quest is strongly opposed by the Military Order of the Purple Heart USA on the grounds that the six servicemen were killed in an act of domestic violence, not in combat.

“The criteria for award of the Purple Heart medal has been constant and clear,” the group said. “It is awarded only to those who are killed or wounded in combat. In recent years the criteria has been extended to accommodate a change in warfare that has brought the battlefield to our own shores in the form of international terrorism.”

The Oklahoma City bombing was carried out by two American citizens, killed168 people and injured 680. While bombers and military veterans Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols are labeled as terrorists, there is no evidence that they conspired with any international organizations to carry out the attack. Like it or not, the servicemen who died in the attack do not qualify for a Purple Heart.

A similar issue arose in the aftermath of the Chattanooga shooting on July 16. While Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez was motivated by Islamist rhetoric and terrorist organizations have congratulated Abdulazeez for his actions, the four Marines and sailor killed in the event can’t receive Purples Hearts unless its proven he was working with a foreign group.