New Windsor, NY – Standing in front of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Army veteran John Perrillo of Monroe at long last received 10 long overdue service medals that he had earned in World War II.  The medals were presented by U.S. Representative John Hall (D-NY19), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, whose office had secured the awards.

 

Perrillo was wounded in 1944, by an exploding shell during the Battle of the Bulge, the bloodiest of the battles that U.S. forces experienced in World War II.  He awoke in an ambulance, and was sent to a field hospital in France.  He was later treated in London, before being returned to the United States where he underwent three back surgeries for more than a year at a hospital in Massachusetts.  Due to his hospitalization at the time of the war’s end in August 1945, Perrillo never received the medals he had earned.  Until today.

 

“We are here today to honor a true American hero,” said Hall.  “Mr. Perrillo is a member of the Greatest Generation that served our country bravely and honorably during World War II.  The least we as a grateful nation can do is ensure that they are treated with all the respect and admiration they deserve.  These medals are a small token of our appreciation for the contributions Mr. Perrillo and his fellow veterans have made to the freedoms we as Americans all enjoy.”

 

Perrillo’s wife Rose contacted Hall’s office in June to see if Hall could assist in getting Perrillo his service medals so that they could be available for his grandchildren.  Hall’s constituent services representative who specializes in casework for veterans, Lisa DeMartino, went to work to secure the medals that Perrillo had waited for more than 60 years.

 

“My office was happy to help get Mr. Perrillo the medals he so richly deserves so that they can be enjoyed and admired by his grandchildren,” said Hall.

 

Hall presented Perrillo with 10 medals today.  Along with the Purple Heart, Perrillo also received the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Bronze Star Attachment, the World War Two Victory Medal, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Honorable Service Lapel Button, the Expert Badge and Rifle Bar, the Sharpshooter Badge and Field Artillery Bar and a Marksman Badge and Pistol Bar.

 

September is a special month for the Perrillos for one more reason, too. The couple, who met when they were teenagers, will be celebrating their 62nd wedding anniversary on September 16th.

 

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