VET'S WAR MEDAL LONG TIME COMING.Byline: Dennis McCarthy Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
He's a quiet, proud man, L.G. Benson. Doesn't brag or talk much about the past, his family says. Oh, they knew he was in World War II, a sergeant or something attached to Gen. Omar Bradley's intelligence unit in France. They knew he had some medals and citations stuck away in the family safety deposit box at the bank. But that was about it. Loren - L.G. to his family and friends - was way too busy thinking about the future, not the past, when he got his honorable discharge honorable discharge n. Discharge from the armed forces with a commendable record. Noun 1. honorable discharge - a discharge from the armed forces with a commendable record from the Army in late 1946 and enrolled in chiropractic chiropractic (kīrəprăk`tĭk) [Gr.,=doing by hand], medical practice based on the theory that all disease results from a disruption of the functions of the nerves. college not far from his parents' home in Roosevelt, Utah Roosevelt is a city in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 4,299 at the 2000 census. Geography Roosevelt is located at (40.298721, -109.994035)GR1. . He had a career to start. A family, too, if and when he found the right woman. World War II was finally over. It was time to put the past in the past, put his uniform in mothballs and get on with the future, L.G. knew. If the Belgian government never got around to sending him the Croix de Guerre - Cross of War - medal it awarded him back in 1945 when he helped chase the Nazis out of that country, well, life would go on. And it did. L.G. found the right woman, Donna, at chiropractic college. They went on to have successful careers that spanned almost five decades before they retired and moved to California to be near their two children, Valerie Miremadi of Westlake Village and John Benson John Benson may be:
 'kəmäng`gə), city (1990 pop. 101,409), San Bernardino co., S Calif. .
The Belgian government never did get around to sending L.G. the medal he earned. No big deal. He knew what he and the other guys from his unit who were awarded that coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. medal did. That's all that mattered. Besides, he still had the certificate the Belgian government had given him in lieu of Instead of; in place of; in substitution of. It does not mean in addition to. the medal that was to follow when things settled down a little after the war. The certificate was in the safety deposit box with the other medals and campaign ribbons Sgt. L.G. Benson had received for being the soldier Gen. Bradley relied on to keep track of the strategic positions of all U.S. artillery units fighting the Nazis. But that was a long time ago, and L.G. Benson didn't spend much time talking about the past. ``What's this?'' John Benson asked his mother a few months ago, as they turned the pages of a scrapbook A Macintosh disk file that holds frequently used text and graphics objects, such as a company letterhead. Contrast with "clipboard," which is reserved memory that holds data only for the current session. his grandmother had assembled on her son's involvement in World War II. A little newspaper clipping (1) Cutting off the outer edges or boundaries of a word, signal or image. In rendering an image, clipping removes any objects or portions thereof that are not visible on screen. See scissoring. See also WCA. from a 1945 edition of the local Roosevelt paper had caught his eye. It detailed how one of Roosevelt's native sons had just been awarded a very prestigious medal by the Belgian government. ``He never actually got it,'' Donna Benson said, turning the page. ``What do you mean, he never got it?'' John asked. ``They were busy trying to reorganize re·or·gan·ize v. re·or·gan·ized, re·or·gan·iz·ing, re·or·gan·iz·es v.tr. To organize again or anew. v.intr. To undergo or effect changes in organization. their government after the Nazis were driven out, so they gave out certificates and said the medal would follow,'' she said. ``It didn't.'' A couple of days later, John called his sister, Valerie, and told her about the war medal their father had been awarded, but never received. Veterans Day was coming up, John said. What did she think? Valerie thought her brother should go for it. ``I contacted the Belgian Embassy, and they got me in contact with the military attache ATTACHE. Connected with, attached to. This word is used to signify those persons who are attached to a foreign legation. An attache is a public minister within the meaning of the Act of April 30, 1790, s. 37, 1 Story's L. U. S. , who said they didn't make that medal any longer,'' John said. ``But they knew where one could be made for Dad, if I could provide them proof that he had been awarded it.'' So under the pretense of checking some important papers in their safety deposit box, Donna slipped the medal certificate out of the box, had a copy made and gave it to John to send to the Belgian Embassy as proof. The answer came back a few days later. L.G. Benson had indeed been awarded the Croix de Guerre, as one of only 30 men to be so honored. ``They told me where I could get one made in Belgium, and that's what I did,'' John said this past weekend, waiting for his dad and mom to arrive at Valerie's Westlake Village home. They had a Veterans Day surprise for their father, one he wouldn't forget for a long time. L.G. knew something was up when Donna brought out his old Army uniform jacket and suggested he try it on for the family to see whether it still fit. When L.G. did, his kids stepped forward and presented their father the Croix de Guerre, pinning it on his old uniform jacket. L.G. just stood there smiling, too choked up to talk. After a few minutes, this quiet, proud man did something he hasn't done for a long time. He talked about the past. He sat with his kids and grandkids and told them about his early intelligence training at Gen. Dwight Eisenhower's headquarters in England, and how he arrived in Normandy with Gen. Bradley's unit a few days after D-Day. How they camped out those first few weeks in apple orchards covered with camouflage camouflage (kăm`əfläzh), in warfare, the disguising of objects with artificial aids, especially for the purpose of making them blend into their surroundings or of deceiving the observer as to the location of strategic points. netting. How they proceeded to chase the Nazis out of Europe. CAPTION(S): photo PHOTO (color) World War II veteran L.G. Benson's Croix de Guerre is admired by his children, Valerie and John. Tina Gerson/Daily News |
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