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| After 63 Years, World War Two Vet Receives Purple Heart |
(Posted: 12/17/08)
'Hero' finally gets his heart
Travis Griggs
tgriggs@pnj.com
At Pensacola Naval Air Station on Tuesday, Marine Corps Pfc. Johnny Smith finally got his medal.
Sixty-three years ago, Smith sprinted across the beach at Iwo Jima as enemy gunfire crackled from the jungle around him.
He jumped into a crater where his squad mates were taking cover and returned fire. He tried to keep his head down while he sprayed .30-caliber machine gun bullets back at the enemy, but he didn't keep it low enough.
A Japanese bullet hit his helmet and exploded, the shrapnel slicing the side of his face and shredding his uniform.
"I wasn't badly wounded," said Smith, now 86. "But when the corpsman p... (more)
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