Recognition, decades deferred, finally comes for a World War II veteran
April 05, 2020 Alison Gowans - The Gazette
Seventy-five years ago, John Gualtier was a young combat medic, serving with the U.S. Army in World War II, when he came under heavy artillery fire. Shrapnel hit him in the thumb and foot in the spring of 1945 as German forces tried to stop his unit from crossing the Isar River. His fellow medics quickly bandaged him in the field so he could continue treating other soldiers who were more grievously injured.
“We were so busy, we had so many wounded soldiers, when I got hit they just took care of me, and we went on treating other soldiers,†he recalled, speaking by phone from his home in Vinton.
Now, after years of efforts by friends who pushed for him to be recognized, the 94-year-old is being awarded the Purple Heart, a medal given to armed forces members wounded by the enemy in combat.
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/04/recognition-decades-deferred-finally-comes-for-a-world-war-ii-veteran/
