thedrifter
12-14-05, 06:51 PM
Nearly 60 years later, Marine accepts war medals
WorldNow
FALL RIVER, Mass. Haunted by the memories of war, Edgar Moore waited six decades before finally accepting the medals he earned in battle.
The 84-year-old retired Fall River police officer fought as a Marine in some of the bloodiest campaigns of World War Two -- including Guadalcanal and Okinawa. He was shot in the foot but still returned to the front lines.Moore -- who goes by "Jim" -- returned home in 1946 to the three-year-old son he had never seen. He should have received a Purple Heart and other medals, but chose not to, in part because he wanted to put the painful memories behind him.Yesterday, Moore received his medals during a ceremony hosted by Congressman Jim McGovern. He said he wanted his grandchildren to see them. He also said he was accepting the medals on behalf of Edward Larkin, a Massachusetts state trooper who died in Moore's arms during a battle in the South Pacific.Moore's wife and children say he never talked much about his war experiences, although he did help raise money for an Iwo Jima monument in Fall River.
Ellie
WorldNow
FALL RIVER, Mass. Haunted by the memories of war, Edgar Moore waited six decades before finally accepting the medals he earned in battle.
The 84-year-old retired Fall River police officer fought as a Marine in some of the bloodiest campaigns of World War Two -- including Guadalcanal and Okinawa. He was shot in the foot but still returned to the front lines.Moore -- who goes by "Jim" -- returned home in 1946 to the three-year-old son he had never seen. He should have received a Purple Heart and other medals, but chose not to, in part because he wanted to put the painful memories behind him.Yesterday, Moore received his medals during a ceremony hosted by Congressman Jim McGovern. He said he wanted his grandchildren to see them. He also said he was accepting the medals on behalf of Edward Larkin, a Massachusetts state trooper who died in Moore's arms during a battle in the South Pacific.Moore's wife and children say he never talked much about his war experiences, although he did help raise money for an Iwo Jima monument in Fall River.
Ellie