Veteran wounded in Okinawa awarded Purple Heart 70 years later
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lorraine Manatt, the daughter of a survivor of the shooting down of Army Air Force B-17 ``Lady Jane II'' bomber over Berlin near the end of World War II, receives a Purple Heart awarded postumously to her father, Sgt. Rodney A. Williams, during a ceremony at Los Alamitos Army Airfield in Los Alamitos, Calif., Wednesday, March 18, 2015, exactly 70 years to the date that he and eight others were shot down. (AP Photo/Daily Breeze, Brittany Murray) (The Associated Press)
A 90-year-old New York man wounded by Japanese fighter planes in World War II has been awarded a Purple Heart — 70 years after rescuing a fellow sailor.
Newsday reports that Frederick Stone of Stony Brook accepted the medal Sunday during a ceremony at the Navy Operational Support Center in Farmingdale.
The medal honors veterans wounded or killed in the line of duty.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Family members say metal plane fragments penetrated Stone's back and chest during the bombing of the USS Butler in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa.
Navy officials say Stone dragged a fellow sailor to a hospital ship before returning to battle.
Rep. Lee Zeldin found that Stone should've also received the Purple Heart when family members applied to have his damaged medals reissued.