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LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (AP) — A California veteran has been awarded a Purple Heart exactly 70 years after his airplane was shot down in Germany during World War II and more than a decade after his death.
The San Bernardino Sun reports (http://bit.ly/1xjhFGZ ) that the posthumous award — given to soldiers wounded while serving — was presented to the daughter of Sgt. Rodney A. Williams on Wednesday.
Williams' daughter, Lorraine Manatt, said after the ceremony at Los Alamitos Army Airfield that her father rarely spoke about his experiences during the war.
Williams was aboard a Boeing B-17 that was shot down on March 18, 1945. Although wounded, he survived and spent the remainder of the war in a prison camp.
The newspaper says the award was delayed because records of Williams' injuries were missing.
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Information from: The Sun, http://www.sbsun.com
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