After being admitted to a hospice, a retired Vietnam War veteran made it his mission to collect his service medals, including a Purple Heart, which had been overlooked and not awarded to him decades after he left the service.
On Friday, with assistance from Mount Scott Chapter 602 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs and U.S. Senator James Lankford, retired Vietnam War veteran Sergeant Bob Young of the Fourth Infantry Division received his service medals during a ceremony in the Lawton Fort Sill Veterans Center auditorium.
Young joined the military in 1966 and served two tours in Vietnam before retiring in 1977. While in Vietnam, Young was injured twice in combat. The first injury was from a punji stick, a type of booby trap, that went through his left calf. Young’s second injury was from mortar shell fire while in a foxhole. After retiring in 1977, Young spent 44 years driving tractor-trailers across the country.
Bruce Dwyer of the Mount Scott Chapter 602 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart had met Young through his time at the hospice, as Dwyer spends his time comforting veterans in hospice care. Young told Dwyer that more than anything, he wanted his medals back, which he never received after his two tours in Vietnam.
Young never received his service medals, which Dwyer said is unfortunately common among many Vietnam veterans. Young was automatically eligible for a Purple Heart, as was anyone wounded while serving. Dwyer said veterans who don’t receive their medals are overlooked due to the hectic nature of the war.
“Sometimes there’s so much going on that they just fall through the cracks and get overlooked,” Dwyer said.
Dwyer said it could take up to a year for those medals to be handed out, but he has reached out to the Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs and Senator James Lankford’s office to see if the process could be expedited for Young. ODVA Service Officer Doug Ferguson and Lankford have shown their full support in ensuring Young receives those medals properly and in a timely manner, Dwyer said.
Young received seven medals, three badges, and seven campaign ribbons, as well as a shadow box to protect and display his medals. Awards included Purple Heart, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal (second award), National Defense Service Medal with a bronze service star, Vietnam Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge (first award), Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, Expert Badge with Rifle Bar, and Marksman Badge with Carbine Bar.
During the ceremony, Ferguson spoke about Young’s service, calling his willingness to return to battle after his initial injury heroic.
“After he received the Purple Heart, he went back for a second deployment. To me, that’s a damn good man,” Ferguson said.
Lankford was unable to attend the ceremony in person, but expressed his gratitude in a statement read by one of his representatives, MP for the constituency Maggie Sharum. Sharum helped complete the medals for Young in two months, rather than the usual one-year period. In the statement, Lankford thanked Young for his service and dedication to his country and admired his willingness to serve two terms.
At the end of Friday’s ceremony, Dwyer was informed of another resident at Lawton’s Fort Sill Veterans Center who never received his medals. He said he would do everything he could to get the patient’s medals and host a similar ceremony for the retired veteran.
“I’m glad I can play a small part in giving these veterans the recognition they deserve,” Dwyer said.
