FONDA, N.Y. – A World War II veteran from upstate New York who fought in some of the fiercest battles in Europe has been awarded long overdue military decorations for his combat service.
Congressman Chris Gibson of New York presented the Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman Badge and other medals to 92-year-old Thomas Williams of Central Bridge during a ceremony Tuesday in Montgomery County.
Williams was a month shy of his 19th birthday when he enlisted in the Army in late 1942. He served in the 398th Regiment of the 100th Infantry Division, which fought its way across France into Germany and took part in the Battle of the Bulge.
Williams' family provided details of his service to Gibson's office because the veteran's records were among those destroyed in a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in Missouri.
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