Ninety-year-old George Hemphill reclaimed the Purple Heart he earned during World War II in France at a ceremony

Ninety-year-old George Hemphill reclaimed the Purple Heart he earned during World War II in France at a ceremony. He mailed it home and assumed it was in a box of his medals that he didn't open. (CNN/WLOS)

  • Must See Video
Car uses tweets and social media to run
Car uses tweets and social media to run

The car is an old-school Volkswagen Karmann Gia, but there's …

Morgan Freeman sleeps on live interview
Morgan Freeman sleeps on live interview

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were doing satellite …

Texas bridge ablaze crashes to ground
Texas bridge ablaze crashes to ground

A railroad bridge on the northern edge of the Texas Hill …

Dramatic video of massive OK tornado
Dramatic video of massive OK tornado

Here's some dramatic video of the massive tornado that ravaged …

Video: Witnesses reflect on OKC tornado
Video: Witnesses reflect on OKC tornado

Witnesses give a first-hand account of the tornado that ripped …

Advertisement

Man reunited with Purple Heart from WWII

George Hemphill says he's flabbergasted

Updated: Tuesday, 22 Jan 2013, 8:39 AM EST
Published : Tuesday, 22 Jan 2013, 8:38 AM EST

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man who mailed his Purple Heart home from France almost 70 years ago got it back in a ceremony in Rutherfordton.

Ninety-year-old George Hemphill reclaimed the Purple Heart he earned during World War II in France at a ceremony Sunday. He mailed it home and assumed it was in a box of his medals that he didn't open.

A Florida man bought it in an antiques store in Columbia, S.C., in 2000 and held on to it. His friend found Purple Hearts Reunited, a Vermont organization run by Capt. Zachariah Fike. Fike tracked down Hemphill, who also received a Bronze Star in Sunday's ceremony.

Hemphill says he's flabbergasted that so many people worked to reunite him with his Purple Heart.

  • Comments
With WDTN.com's new commenting system you don't need to register. You can login with an existing Facebook, Yahoo!, Google, or Twitter account and more.
 

blog comments powered by Disqus

News Link Icon See the latest county jail bookings»

Advertisement
  • Mugshot Gallery

Mugshot Gallery

The following people have recently been booked into Jail. They may not have been convicted of the crimes they are charged with and are innocent until proven guilty.

See gallery »

Advertisement

Advertisement