Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- 99-year-old WWII veteran Glenn Fisher received a Purple Heart 81 years later.
- Fisher was wounded in Germany in 1945 but never received the medal.
- Friend Jeff Thoke uncovered records proving Fisher's eligibility for the honor.
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — A Kentucky World War II veteran has finally received the military honor he earned more than eight decades ago.
At 99 years old, retired Army Col. Glenn Fisher was presented with the Purple Heart during a ceremony at the Frazier Kentucky History Museum on Wednesday, 81 years after he was wounded during combat in Germany near the end of World War II.
For Fisher, the long-awaited recognition was emotional.
"I've been so excited that I haven't been able to sleep at night thinking about what a wonderful thing that's happening," Fisher said during the ceremony.
Fisher enlisted in the U.S. Army at just 16 years old after changing his age so he could serve, following in his father's footsteps.
"Glenn thought the world of his dad, and he wanted to be just like his dad," said longtime friend Jeff Thoke.
On March 25, 1945, artillery exploded near Fisher's position in Germany. The blast killed two of his fellow soldiers, while shrapnel hit Fisher in the face and leg. After receiving treatment, he returned to duty and finished the war.
Despite being wounded in combat, Fisher never received the Purple Heart.
"He was told all the records had been burned in a 1973 fire in St. Louis, which is what happened with most of the documents from World War II," Thoke said.
Rather than accept that answer, Thoke spent years researching Fisher's military service. He eventually discovered Fisher's records were actually stored in a different building when the fire occurred.
"So through a lot of research, I found that the documents, his were there in St. Louis. They had been moved because he was still in the service in 1973. He retired in 1980," Thoke said.
After reviewing the newly uncovered records, Army officials determined Fisher met the requirements for the Purple Heart.
"I was very happy ... to approve the Purple Heart," said Maj. Francisco Bonglo, chief of U.S. Army Awards.
For Fisher, however, the medal is about more than his own service. He said it also honors the soldiers who never returned home.
"The ones that we lost and are buried in Belgium and the Netherlands ... they paid the supreme sacrifice that we might be here today," Fisher said.
The Purple Heart is awarded to U.S. service members who are wounded or killed in combat as a result of enemy action. Established by George Washington in 1782, it is the nation's oldest active military decoration.
Fisher will celebrate his 100th birthday on Oct. 10.
