US Medal of Honor awarded 42 years later
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US Medal of Honor awarded 42 years later
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: by the Great Salt Lake, USA
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Not surprising it took so long... a friend was wounded in Vietnam, and recommended for the Silver Star.
However, since he was on a classified op he never got anything... his service records didn't even show him as having served in Vietnam.
His Marine Corps records showed him as being in Japan instead. That was how things stood until 1985*.
That was when he received his corrected DD-214, which now showed his Vietnam service, his wounding, and the assignment of a Purple Heart.
Still no SS, as it was past the "must be recommended by" date (the original recommendation was destroyed).
However, it was a great vindication for him. He had been discharged from the USMC after recovering, and he had joined the USN... and received a lot of harassment for his claim of Vietnam service.
There were a lot of sheepish looks the day he showed up with his new paperwork to be inserted into his service record!
* While he was recovering from his wounds in the US hospital in Japan, he met a Col. P. X. Kelley, who promised to do what he could to correct the situation.
PX became Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1983, and my friend's revised DD-214 came with a hand-written note that simply said "I remembered. PXK".
However, since he was on a classified op he never got anything... his service records didn't even show him as having served in Vietnam.
His Marine Corps records showed him as being in Japan instead. That was how things stood until 1985*.
That was when he received his corrected DD-214, which now showed his Vietnam service, his wounding, and the assignment of a Purple Heart.
Still no SS, as it was past the "must be recommended by" date (the original recommendation was destroyed).
However, it was a great vindication for him. He had been discharged from the USMC after recovering, and he had joined the USN... and received a lot of harassment for his claim of Vietnam service.
There were a lot of sheepish looks the day he showed up with his new paperwork to be inserted into his service record!
* While he was recovering from his wounds in the US hospital in Japan, he met a Col. P. X. Kelley, who promised to do what he could to correct the situation.
PX became Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1983, and my friend's revised DD-214 came with a hand-written note that simply said "I remembered. PXK".
