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ETTRICK, Wis. - More than 70 years after his heroic actions,
World War II veteran Cpl. Clifford P. Blaha was awarded the Bronze
Star Medal during a surprise ceremony held by the American Legion in
Ettrick, Wisconsin, March 21, 2015.
Attending the ceremony
were family, friends and members of the local community. Also
attending were Soldiers of the 88th Regional Support Command,
headquartered on Fort McCoy, who volunteered their afternoon for the
opportunity to properly honor a patriot of what's been titled the
“Greatest Generation.”
Maj. Gen. Karen LeDoux, commander of
the 88th RSC, officiated the ceremony and said she was tremendously
honored to present Blaha the Bronze Star Medal.
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World War II veteran Clifford P. Blaha stands beside Maj. Gen. Karen LeDoux, commander of the 88th Regional Support Command, after being presented the Bronze Star Medal during a ceremony in Ettrick, Wis., March 21, 2015. Blaha is a veteran of operations in Leyte, Philippines and the Battle of Okinawa. He is a recipient of two Purple Hearts, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Medal, the World War II Victory Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. (U.S. Army photo by SFC Corey Beal)
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“Mr. Blaha's example serves as a reminder to us all of
the tremendous heroism and selfless service of the 16
million Americans who served in WWII,” said LeDoux.
“Ceremonies like these are long overdue, but fortunately for
us they bring back to memory stories of a generation which
must not be forgotten.”
Helping bring to light
Blaha's story was Paul Beseler, American Legion Vice
Commander of Wisconsin's 10th District. Beseler had been
working behind the scenes to get Blaha his overdue award and
orchestrated the ceremony all without Blaha's knowledge.
“Mr. Blaha is a recipient of two purple hearts, the
American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Medal, the WWll
Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge,” said
Beseler. “He is eligible for the Bronze Star having been
awarded the CIB by virtue of Executive Order 9419.”
“The criteria for the CIB at the time Mr. Blaha received it
would ultimately be the same criteria for the Bronze Star
when it was initially released as an award,” continued
Beseler. “In 1947 a policy was implemented that authorized
the retroactive awarding of the Bronze Star Medal to all
Soldiers who received the Combat Infantryman Badge during
WWI.”
During the ceremony Beseler read Blaha's
biography to the audience which began with his draft into
the Army following High School on July 28, 1944. He then
received Basic Training at what was then Camp Hood, which
was not quite two years old and housed approximately 30,000
replacement troops.
Blaha was then assigned to the
7th Infantry Division and left Seattle aboard the USS
Lycoming to Hawaii where they staged for Leyte, Philippines,
They arrived in Leyte for operations there and then departed
to be on station for the Battle of Okinawa.
They
secured the Kadena Air Base with little resistance, cut
across the island and headed south where fighting was more
intense and a number of casualties occurred.
During
his Division's 82 days of continuous combat there, Blaha was
wounded on two separate occasions. He was shot once through
the arm, and then on the final day, was shot across the
back.
His unit then deployed to occupy Korea and
accepted the surrender of Japanese forces which had occupied
that country. They then returned to the continental United
States and Mr. Blaha was discharged at Camp McCoy,
Wisconsin.
“Mr. Blaha's service to our Nation holds
just as much importance today as it did 70 years ago when he
bore the hardships of war,” said LeDoux. “As his generation
passes we must remind ourselves and teach our youth the
heroism and sacrifices which were endured for future
generations.”
The time to recognize and honor that
generation is quickly closing according to estimates by the
Department of Veterans Affairs. Of the 16.1 million veterans
who served in WWII, 855,000 are still living today and are
passing away at a rate of 492 a day.
“This ceremony
serves not only as tribute Mr. Blaha's heroism, but to all
WWII veterans who endured countless sacrifices for our
country and ensured our way of life,” said LeDoux. “We owe
them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid, and we
must not allow their selfless service to be forgotten with
the passing of time.”
By U.S. Army SFC Corey Beal
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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