92-year-old NC man receives Purple Heart earned in WWII
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A 92-year-old North Carolina man has finally received the Purple Heart he earned more than 70 years ago while fighting in Belgium during World War II.
The Fayetteville Observer reports that Oscar Davis Jr. received the Purple Heart on Saturday.
Davis was a private assigned as a radio telephone operator when he was knocked down by a large piece of shrapnel during the Battle of the Bulge. The radio on his back protected him, but the German artillery barrage knocked down a tree that fell on Davis, injuring his spine.
He was paralyzed from the waist down for three weeks and ultimately rejoined his unit in Germany.
Davis was told long ago that he would receive the honor, but the award paperwork was never signed.
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Information from: The Fayetteville Observer, http://www.fayobserver.com