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Korean War vet decorated 61 years after captivity

James Hayden, an 88-year-old World War II and Korean War veteran, received a Prisoner of War Medal over half a century after his captivity.

By Fred Lambert
Maj. Gen. Terry Ferrell shakes hands with World War II and Korea veteran James Hayden in a ceremony Sept. 3. (Photo: U.S. Army)
Maj. Gen. Terry Ferrell shakes hands with World War II and Korea veteran James Hayden in a ceremony Sept. 3. (Photo: U.S. Army)

TACOMA, Wash., Sept. 21 (UPI) -- A U.S. Army veteran who served in the European Front of World War II and spent time as a prisoner of war in Korea finally received medals that he has rated for over half a century, the army reports.

James Hayden, 88, was awarded a Prisoner of War Medal and a Korean War Service Medal in a ceremony on Joint Base Lewis McChord on Sept. 3.

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Born in 1925, Hayden is a Kentucky native who joined the army in 1944. While serving in Europe, Hayden ran into a tunnel of Germans, who threw a hand grenade, crushing his rifle. Hayden found a new weapon and attacked the tunnel, killing two Germans, wounding four and capturing another 12. For that action, he was given the Silver Star -- which he received a citation for, but the medal itself was mailed instead of directly presented, and thus lost.

Before the war was done, Hayden was wounded, earning him a Purple Heart.

After returning home, he reenlisted and was sent to Korea. On Dec. 1, 1950, Chinese forces surrounded his unit after a fierce overnight battle, and Hayden was captured. He would remain in captivity for the duration of hostilities on the Korean peninsula, being released in 1953 and suffering a series of health problems related to malnutrition. He medically retired from the army as a master sergeant in 1962.

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Hayden was never given the POW Medal or the Korean War Service Medal that he rated, and when his friends and family tried recovering his records, they learned that they were lost in a fire. After a series of difficulties lasting years, they eventually petitioned Washington state Rep. Linda Kochmar; two months later, the medals were approved.

Kochmar said that she thinks Hayden deserves more than the Silver Star for his World War II service, and that she is trying to get it upgraded to a Medal of Honor.

Ferrell, commander of the 7th Infantry Division, pinned both medals on Hayden's chest in the ceremony earlier this month.

"Little slow in recognition, but it's never too late," Ferrell said.

When Hayden said, "I didn't expect this. I didn't ask for any of it," Ferrell replied, "That's what makes you special."

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