HERMISTON, Ore. — A 92-year-old Oregon man has been honored for his military service 70 years after he returned home from World War II.
The East Oregonian reports that William Jones was presented with five medals Saturday: a Presidential Citation, a Good Conduct Medal, campaign medals for the American and Euro-African-Middle-Eastern campaigns and the World War II Victory Medal.
Jones says he didn’t apply for the medals after returning to the United States in 1945 because he believed he would be reassigned to Japan. When that conflict ended, he forgot about medals as he slipped back into civilian life.
Jones’s niece applied for the medals for him. She received offers to help from the offices of Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
