mostly nonfiction and bakersfield news | June 30th, 2009
90-Year-Old Veteran To Finally Receive 12 Army Service Medals, Pins, For WWII Heroism
Apparently, Walter Truax, 90, got lost in the shuffle after World War II. In fact, he was so lost in the shuffle that he didn’t receive a combination of 12 medals and pins, including the Silver Star and Bronze Star.
On Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 3:00 p.m., U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy will present local World War II veteran, Walter Truax, with medals he earned for his service and sacrifice during World War II.
According to a press release sent from McCarthy’s office, Truax, 90, resides in Bakersfield. He served in the United States Army from Jan. 7, 1941 to Nov. 3, 1945. As a Staff Sergeant, he was a squad leader and served most of his time in Germany.
After serving in the Army Truax started Truax Optical, which was located on 17th Street. He has since sold his business and is now retired.
And the military is all in the family too. Truax has two grandsons who both serve in the United States Marine Corps. One has served two tours in Iraq and the other son is currently being redeployed to Iraq.
According to Vince Fong of McCarthy’s office, after Truax’ grandsons returned from early tours of duty with medals, Truax realized that he had probably earned some medals. Previously, he had just been happy to have survived the war and moved on with his life after WWII.
Congressman McCarthy will present Truax with the Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 bronze service stars, World War II Victory Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge 1st Award, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button.
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