Thread: Late awarding of medals.

Well.... He was not wounded in combat he was injured.

Not a terribly empathetic comment there, WH. Are you saying it took a while to get the PH because he was injured as opposed to wounded or that he shouldn't have got it because he was 'just' injured?

He was injured on combat duties and rightly deserves a PH. He sacrificed more than most of us ever will. Wonderful that his son got to watch.

[QUOTE=Antipodean Andy;28031]Not a terribly empathetic comment there, WH. Are you saying it took a while to get the PH because he was injured as opposed to wounded or that he shouldn't have got it because he was 'just' injured?[quote]

I believe he should have got it right away, but I was coming up with a reason why he didn't.

No worries, mate.

Playing the "Devil's Advocate" WH?

Originally Posted by spidge

Playing the "Devil's Advocate" WH?

Yes.

Monday, March 09, 2009

Wally Bludworth of Kyle flew 34 bombing missions in B-24 planes over Germany during World War II, including 19 in which he returned to England with engines shot out and fuel lines leaking. "One time there were 134 flak holes in the airplane when we returned," he said.

After the war, Bludworth became a chemical engineer, worked worldwide, got married, had children, ran his own company and retired.

He just found out this year that he was recommended a little more than 63 years ago for the Distinguished Flying Cross. "I had not really wondered about it before," Bludworth said. "You really didn't fly for the medals; you just flew and did your job."

Bludworth, now 85, said he became curious about the medal last year after talking to a friend who had flown some missions with him and received it.

He said he wrote a letter in January to the Texas Veterans Commission asking whether he qualified for the award. A short time later the director of the Air Force Review Boards Agency at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland sent a letter to Bludworth confirming that he had been recommended for the Distinguished Flying Cross on Dec. 1, 1945, for "extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight on many bombardment missions," according to the letter. He received the award in the mail last week.

"I'm thrilled because I can now buy duplicates and give them to my children and great-grandchildren," he said. Apparently his recommendation more than 60 years ago was either lost or not acted upon so no action could be taken until Bludworth formally requested correction of his military records, said Capt. Michael Andrews, an Air Force spokesman in Washington.

A native of Kingsville, Bludworth said he had always wanted to learn how to fly. He grew up working at his father's drugstore and often watched Army Air Corps cadets practicing their flying on a nearby grass field, he said.

He joined the army at age 18. "I just thought it was my duty to fight Hitler," he said. He learned to fly in the Army Air Forces because the Air Force wasn't created until 1947, he said.

During 1944 and 1945, he lived in a Quonset hut in England with nine other men, he said. "We were young enough not to be too frightened," he said. "You did go through emotions when they woke you up in the morning and said you had a mission; there's anxiety."

The anxiety would disappear once he got in the air and knew he was being shot at, Bludworth said. "I got mad and I remember I would lose 10 to 14 pounds a mission in sweat and nervous energy," he said.

One time he had to land a plane on an old German airfield in Belgium because an engine was shot out, the controls were damaged and the aircraft was out of fuel, he said. The crew was rescued by Allied forces.

"I remember that I bombed Berlin on my 21st birthday," he said. Bludworth, who was never injured, got a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Texas after the war.

He worked in engineering mainly for Exxon and sometimes as a consultant in 18 different countries, he said. For a few years he owned his own company called Great Western Oil and Gas in Texas and Oklahoma, he said.

After retiring at 67, Bludworth said he spent eight years driving around the U.S. in an RV with his wife, Norlene. They settled in Kyle because they liked the area, he said.

The Kyle-Buda VFW Post 12058 will hold a special award ceremony for Bludworth on April 18 at the Painted Horse Pavilion in Buda, said Rick Riel, the post commander. "The things that Wally went through as a B-24 pilot were just extraordinary," Riel said. "I don't think people now realize the sacrifices these men made."

WWI veteran receives French award

Mr Patch gave a speech after he received the award
Harry Patch, the last surviving British veteran of the trenches of World War I, has been made an Officer of the French Legion of Honour.

The 110-year-old, who returned to Bath in 1918, was awarded the medal by the French Ambassador at his nursing home in Wells, Somerset.

The British veteran already received the Chevalier of the Order award in 1998.

Receiving the award, Mr Patch said it was a great honour.

'Greatly appreciated'

He said he was delighted to be appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour 10 years ago, along with 350 other veterans from World War I.

When I eventually rejoin my mates it [the medal] will be displayed in my regimental museum as a permanent reminder of the kindness of the people of France

Harry Patch

At the ceremony, he said: "Now, but two of us remain at our post and the people of France, through their president, have honoured us once more by appointing us as Officers of the Legion of Honour.

"Ambassador, I greatly appreciate the way your people respect the memory of those who fell, irrespective of the uniform they wore.

"I will wear this medal with great pride and when I eventually rejoin my mates it will be displayed in my regimental museum as a permanent reminder of the kindness of the people of France."

Mr Patch, who grew up in Coombe Down, near Bath, never spoke in public about World War I until he turned 100.

Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said the UK owed a great deal to the men and women like Mr Patch.

"He served with such distinction during wars to protect our liberty.

"I welcome this award which pays tribute to him for the huge contribution he has made. We are justly proud of his service and thank the French government for this honour," he added.