LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. government has finally given actor James Garner Purple Heart medals for being wounded in the Korean War, including one injury he suffered while 'going south and the North Koreans were right behind me.'
'It's sure better to get this medal 30 years late than posthumously,' Garner said Monday during a brief ceremony at Lorimar Studios, where he will soon be making an Army movie.
'It is an honor -- even after 30 years -- having them dig through all the old records,' said Garner, who starred in television's 'Maverick' and 'Rockford Files' series. 'I was proud to serve and did the best I could.'
Maj. Gen. Llyle Barker pinned the medal -- decorated with an oak leaf cluster to indicate two awards -- to Garner's chest and said the Army was remedying an error in making the presentation.
Garner, who served 14 months in Korea, was first hit by shrapnel in his face and hands. Asked where he was hit the second time in 1951, the actor blushed and said, 'You have to ask.'
'I was hit in the backside going into a foxhole a little late,' Garner said. 'I was going south and the North Koreans were right behind me. Unfortunately, there was a lot of room involving my rear end. How could they miss?'
David Hartman of 'Good Morning America' initiated the efforts to present a Purple Heart to Garner after he learned of the case on his television show in November.
Garner said at the ceremonies that he had hoped to receive the medals years ago to present to his late grandmother before she died.
