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Contact: Ed McDonald
202.225.3065
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Coble to present World War II medal to High Point man
Washington,
Dec 7 -
(Washington, DC)---A World War II veteran who lives in High Point will receive a long-overdue honor from his congressman on Friday. Joseph Kaper will be presented with France’s Legion of Honor Medal by U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC).
Joseph Kaper, who has also received two Purple Hearts, will be presented the Officier Medal of the French Légion d'Honneur by Congressman Coble at a ceremony at High Point University tomorrow. Kaper, now 89, served with the 295th Combat Engineer Battalion in Scotland and England during his service but was sent to Omaha Beach, the German-occupied territory of France during the war, a few days after D-Day.
In the official report about his service during the war, it stated that Kaper: “…performed every type of combat engineer mission with outstanding efficiency. You have crossed a large number of rivers, breached the Siegfried Line, laid mine fields and removed them, maintained roads, supplied water, fought as Infantry, both defensively and offensively, cleared the way through bomb destroyed cities, and performed innumerable other missions. You have been commended often in writing and verbally. You have supported some of the Army’s most famous Divisions and earned their unlimited respect and praise. You have taken your full share of casualties, earned many decorations, and have been recommended for a Presidential Citation.”
After the war ended, he studied engineering at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He moved to North Carolina in 1958 and was instrumental in developing the first nylon zipper in the U.S. for Talon. He worked in the industrial engineer field for 25 years.
Rep. Coble said he is looking forward to the ceremony on Friday. “This is one of my favorite duties,” Coble added. “We can never thank our veterans enough for the sacrifices they incurred in service to our country. I look forward to honoring Joe Kaper on Friday.”
The ceremony will be at 9:45 a.m. on Friday, December 7 at High Point University’s Wilson School of Commerce Board Room.
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