thedrifter
08-26-09, 06:58 AM
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 8:05 PM CDT
Evansdale vet awarded overdue Purple Heart
By PAT KINNEY, pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com
EVANSDALE --- A U.S. Marine from Evansdale will receive the Purple Heart for combat wounds he suffered while helping to rescue a merchant ship hijacked at the end of the Vietnam War.
Fred Morris, co-owner of People's Appliance in Waterloo, suffered shrapnel wounds in the leg and wrist on May 15, 1975, as he and other Marines rescued the merchant ship SS Mayaguez and its crew from seasoned Cambodian Khmer Rouge communist guerillas.
"It's taken quite a while, but we found the eyewitnesses and surgeons that took out the shrapnel" after the battle, Morris said.
He began his quest in earnest for the medal six years ago when he sought veterans medical assistance.
"I went to the VA to get some help with my wrist. They said 'That (wound) is not documented. It's not in your records.' "
Morris suspects the paperwork documentation on his wounds may have been misplaced or left behind as he was transferred from one medical facility to another during treatment.
Also, he said, some colleagues have suggested the number of citations awarded out of the Mayaguez incident may have been suppressed by superiors because of the high casualty rate in proportion to the number of persons rescued.
However, Morris said, it's hard to fudge on a Purple Heart, awarded those wounded or killed in combat.
"With the Purple Heart, you either bled or you didn't. It's pretty simple.," Morris said.
Barely out of boot camp, Morris and about 180 other Marines were sent to Koh Tang Island off the coast of Cambodia to rescue the Mayaguez and its crew.
They were told the Cambodian force was about 20. Instead, it may have been as many as 600 --- all seasoned Khmer Rouge communist guerrillas.
The Marine force was under fire all day. Before the day was over, the Mayaguez and its crew of about 40 were rescued, but 41 Americans were dead and another 50 were wounded.
Morris recently received a letter from the commandant of the Marine Corps notifying him of his medal. He said U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin helped him get it.
Morris formally will be awarded the medal at 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at Prince of Peace Church in Evansdale.
There is an upside to the long wait, Morris said.
In his quest to find witnesses to his wounds, he reconnected with many of his brothers in arms.
"We've located probably 50 or 60 of the guys, and now we're having reunions," Morris said. Several of them plan to attend his medal presentation ceremony.
Ellie
Evansdale vet awarded overdue Purple Heart
By PAT KINNEY, pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com
EVANSDALE --- A U.S. Marine from Evansdale will receive the Purple Heart for combat wounds he suffered while helping to rescue a merchant ship hijacked at the end of the Vietnam War.
Fred Morris, co-owner of People's Appliance in Waterloo, suffered shrapnel wounds in the leg and wrist on May 15, 1975, as he and other Marines rescued the merchant ship SS Mayaguez and its crew from seasoned Cambodian Khmer Rouge communist guerillas.
"It's taken quite a while, but we found the eyewitnesses and surgeons that took out the shrapnel" after the battle, Morris said.
He began his quest in earnest for the medal six years ago when he sought veterans medical assistance.
"I went to the VA to get some help with my wrist. They said 'That (wound) is not documented. It's not in your records.' "
Morris suspects the paperwork documentation on his wounds may have been misplaced or left behind as he was transferred from one medical facility to another during treatment.
Also, he said, some colleagues have suggested the number of citations awarded out of the Mayaguez incident may have been suppressed by superiors because of the high casualty rate in proportion to the number of persons rescued.
However, Morris said, it's hard to fudge on a Purple Heart, awarded those wounded or killed in combat.
"With the Purple Heart, you either bled or you didn't. It's pretty simple.," Morris said.
Barely out of boot camp, Morris and about 180 other Marines were sent to Koh Tang Island off the coast of Cambodia to rescue the Mayaguez and its crew.
They were told the Cambodian force was about 20. Instead, it may have been as many as 600 --- all seasoned Khmer Rouge communist guerrillas.
The Marine force was under fire all day. Before the day was over, the Mayaguez and its crew of about 40 were rescued, but 41 Americans were dead and another 50 were wounded.
Morris recently received a letter from the commandant of the Marine Corps notifying him of his medal. He said U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin helped him get it.
Morris formally will be awarded the medal at 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at Prince of Peace Church in Evansdale.
There is an upside to the long wait, Morris said.
In his quest to find witnesses to his wounds, he reconnected with many of his brothers in arms.
"We've located probably 50 or 60 of the guys, and now we're having reunions," Morris said. Several of them plan to attend his medal presentation ceremony.
Ellie