By Congratulations to this gentlemen after being awarded his Korean War medals after all these years:
More than half a century after he was wounded in the Korean War, Francisco Oliveras-Padilla wrapped his feeble fingers around the seven medals engraved with his name.
One medal for being shot in the right leg. One for enduring torture as a prisoner of war. One for good behavior and fidelity to the U.S. Army.
The Puerto Rican veteran, once a member of the segregated 65th Infantry Army Regiment, was recognized for valor during the war but never collected his medals.
On Wednesday, his family realized the dream of seeing their old soldier finally receive them. The Army mailed them to U.S. Rep. John Mica’s office to present to the 85-year-old Oliveras-Padilla, who has Alzheimer’s disease and has suffered strokes that have left him mostly immobile and unable to speak.
Edgar Oliveras, the veteran’s only son, slipped the medals into his father’s hand. Oliveras-Padilla slowly lifted his hand to get a closer look.
“We’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” said Oliveras, 50.
The Longwood family tried off and on to obtain the medals for three decades, said Sara Oliveras, the soldier’s wife of 52 years. But they never connected with the right people in the Army. It wasn’t until Longwood Commissioner Bob Cortes, whose sister is married to Edgar Oliveras, contacted Mica’s office in June that the military responded. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link. I also recommend reading my prior posting about the 65th Infantry Regiment and Puerto Ricans during the Korean War at the link.
6:04 pm on August 13th, 2011 1
Touching story.
Hopefully we won’t need to wait another 60 years for the government to buy a vowel on whether borrowing money from the Chinese to pay people not to work is a good idea…
Or whether overtaxing those who are hiring people will make them hire more people?
The same government that awarded medals to a guy who is too ill to understand them still owns 80% of AIG, the company that used the emergency funds the taxpayers gave them for massive executive bonuses and parties overseas.
And AIG is now suing Bank of America (the only bank to pay back 100% of TARP loans). Because BoA bought Countrywide at the request of the government.
The same folks who are now suing them and waiting 60 years to to give medals to heroes…
Win The Future, eh?
7:11 pm on August 13th, 2011 2
Touching story indeed.
I don’t know why you decided to post about this subject under this topic but so be itI notice you use the term “government” a lot. We have no “government”. I had to attempt to explain the US tax code to my foreign born wife. I had to explain that the lawyers in congress who write the tax code are themselves incapable of reading it, understanding it, and filing their own taxes but must instead hire accounts and tax lawyers to complete their returns, and they still often run amok of the tax law.
RIDICULOUS.
Our ballet needs to have another option on it during elections. “NONE OF THE ABOVE”.
They are ass raping our country and we, at the most, talk of term limits. We already have term limits but we, the sheeple, must exercise our option at election time. Bread circuses and bullshit are what we get.
I’m sure this gentleman, a hero to our nation, would feel the same way…
7:44 pm on August 13th, 2011 3
Stop making me agree with you, Leon!!
7:46 pm on August 13th, 2011 4
BTW, waiting 60 years to award this hero the medals he earned for his service after he is suffering from “…Alzheimer’s disease and has suffered strokes that have left him mostly immobile and unable to speak…” is nearly unforgivable…
7:53 pm on August 13th, 2011 5
The wheels of government grind slowly, but exceedingly fine.
I bet if there had of been a PAC contribution or pay off check involved this would have gotten dealt with a lot sooner.
/All of them, including your and my “good senator” – up against the wall.
8:28 pm on August 13th, 2011 6