Greatest Generation

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TULSA, Okla. — Given the choice, World War II veteran Phillip Coon probably wouldn't want the formality and fuss of being honored on a military base with men and women standing at attention, dressed in full regalia — even if it was with a fistful of long-overdue medals he waited decades to receive.

So it's fitting that the awards were presented to the humble Tulsa-area man Monday evening in an informal ceremony at the Tulsa International Airport, with family and fellow veterans in attendance and little pomp and circumstance.

The 94-year-old survivor of a POW labor camp and the Bataan Death March received the Prisoner of War Medal, Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman Badge after he and his son, Michael, returned from a trip to Japan to promote understanding and healing with the U.S.



A couple of dozen people applauded wildly after the medals were presented to Coon, who was seated in a wheelchair. He lifted his ball cap in recognition, exposing a shock of silver hair.


"I've been blessed to come this far in life," he said, a tear streaming down one cheek. "I thank the Lord for watching over me."

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) The family of a World War II Veteran who served in the invasion of Normandy has been honored by Congressman Brian Higgins with military medals and honors including a Bronze Star.

Born in Pennsylvania, Samuel J. Insalaco moved to Buffalo, enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 28th, 1942 and served with the 1st Infantry Division. He participated in the invasion of Normandy and the Tunisia Campaign, where he was one of many soldiers captured by the enemy.


Private First Class Samuel J. Insalaco passed away in 1989 but his son Nick Insalaco recently sent a letter to Congressman Higgins’ office requesting Congressman Higgins assistance in securing information and any awards of medals that may have been awarded his father during his years of service.


Like many veterans, Private First Class Sam Insalaco was in a hurry to get home when the war ended, so he never looked into whether he was eligible for any medals. He married Sophie and they raised a family on Buffalo’s West Side on 10th Street between Hudson and Maryland. Sam’s sons also served in the military, Nick served in the U.S. Army Reserves during the Vietnam War and Tom served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.


Congressman Higgins worked to secure Mr. Insalaco’s medals and presented the family with the Bronze Star; Combat Infantryman Badge 1st Award; Presidential Unit Citation; European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 1 silver service star; World War II Victory Medal; Good Conduct Medal; and the Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII.

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Francois Blaizot was walking near a beach in France last summer. He had a metal detector. He found a dog tag.

Thursday, nearly 71 years after the allies stormed the beaches of Normandy, the tag was delivered to Wallace's widow at an Indianapolis retirement home.


Catherine S. Wallace, 90, had been prepared for the handoff. The event, held where she lives at the American Village retirement home, was choreographed. But even so she seemed genuinely overwhelmed.


"Oh dear, Oh. Oh, dear," she stammered through tears into a phalanx of television cameras. "I don't believe it."


Her husband, who died in 1997, didn't talk about the war much, she said. She never met any of his war buddies. She has not one photograph of him in his uniform.


He did make sure his family watched war movies, including The Longest Day, about the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion. They would pile into the car and go to a drive-in.

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HASTINGS, Minn. - A World War II veteran from Hastings still remembers the horror. John Hankes, 93, was among the 1,800-member unit assigned to special missions in Italy and France during World War II.
In the midst of the sadness, there were some victories. One of those victories took place in 1942. John said he and members of his company successfully completed their first parachute jump.


"We celebrated, " he said adding that beer was the beverage of choice. "We had two days of training on parachute jumping. That's all. And none of us had ever been in an airplane."


John Hankes was back on a plane this month. He landed in Washington D.C. where he was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. He is one of the few surviving members of the "First Special Service Force" -- a group that preceded the Navy Seals.


"I met two guys that I thought had been killed in my company. That was a surprise," he said. "We hugged. One didn't remember me. He's old like I am."


A stroke left John unable to walk. Now, his days are spent at the Regina Retirement Center in Hastings.

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When Mercury News reporter Julia Prodis Sulek woke up Sunday morning, she wasn't sure why she heard all the clapping and cheering outside her San Jose home.

Then she peeked outside. She saw dozens of runners zipping by, up on the sidewalk, as part of the 408k Race to the Row, which benefits the Pat Tillman Foundation.


All the commotion was for 95-year-old World War II veteran Joe Bell, who came outside in full military dress to root on the runners. But it was Bell who soon began getting all the attention.


Runners spontaneously ran up to the elderly man fully decked out in his U.S. Army Airborne brown uniform, shaking his hands, shouting, "Thank you for your service."


"It just kept happening in waves," Sulek said. "Over and over again. The runners were wonderful to give Joe that kind of respect."

[Limoles]

It took me 3 times, 2 divorces, 2 set of lawyers I should have gotten the Purple Heart. She doesn't have a sister but I'll look into a cousin for you.

Les : "I hear you got married again, Mike." :
Mike:"Yes, for the fourth time."
Les : "What happened to your first three wives?"
Mike: "They all died."
Les : "I'm sorry, I didn't know. That's terrible How did they die?"
Mike: "The first ate poisonous mushrooms."
Les : "How awful! What about the second?"
Mike: "She ate poisonous mushrooms."
Les : "Oh no. What about the third? Did she die from poisonous mushrooms too?"
Mike: "No, she died of a broken neck."
Les : "I see, an accident ? "
Mike: "Not exactly - she refused to eat her mushrooms

[terrydj]

A few years after my fathers death a member from the South Korean Embassy paid my mother a visit?
He presented her with an award for my father on behalf of his service to South Korea
My fathers service
Delta Company 3RAR (3 Royal Australian Regiment)
Battle honors:Korea: Presidential citation for bravery: Kapyong
Have a read: https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/...3rar_citation/
Australian Infantry was the first into Korea and the last to leave
I also served with the same company in the same battalion as my father, alongside others.
The top of the photo is the Royal Australian Regiment badge
The Bottom is the presidential citation to 3RAR
Attachment 12300

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Les : "I hear you got married again, Mike." :
Mike:"Yes, for the fourth time."
Les : "What happened to your first three wives?"
Mike: "They all died."
Les : "I'm sorry, I didn't know. That's terrible How did they die?"
Mike: "The first ate poisonous mushrooms."
Les : "How awful! What about the second?"
Mike: "She ate poisonous mushrooms."
Les : "Oh no. What about the third? Did she die from poisonous mushrooms too?"
Mike: "No, she died of a broken neck."
Les : "I see, an accident ? "
Mike: "Not exactly - she refused to eat her mushrooms

Why didn't I think of this, you know how much money in lawyer fees I would have saved.

[taxfree4]

A few years after my fathers death a member from the South Korean Embassy paid my mother a visit?
He presented her with an award for my father on behalf of his service to South Korea
My fathers service
Delta Company 3RAR (3 Royal Australian Regiment)
Battle honors:Korea: Presidential citation for bravery: Kapyong
Have a read: https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/...3rar_citation/
Australian Infantry was the first into Korea and the last to leave
I also served with the same company in the same battalion as my father, alongside others.
The top of the photo is the Royal Australian Regiment badge
The Bottom is the presidential citation to 3RAR
Attachment 12300

Korea is truly the forgotten war, 3 years and a month and Americans lost 36,516.

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http://www.pottsmerc.com/lifestyle/2...ecalls-service