NJ Man Posthumously Awarded Purple Heart for Father's WWI Service

A Century-Long Honor

• 🏅 A New Jersey man, Gus Lucas, was posthumously honored with the Purple Heart and the World War I victory medal for his father's bravery.
• 💡 The medals were awarded 100 years after his father fought in World War I, fulfilling a long-overdue recognition.

World War I Service and Recognition

• 📜 Gus Lucas's father, a Greek immigrant from Turkey, joined the army's 309th Infantry within a year of arriving in the United States.
• 🤕 He was gassed and wounded during his service in World War I but never received the Purple Heart he earned.
• 🏛️ With some World War I records lost in a National Archives fire, obtaining these medals seemed unlikely.

The Path to Receiving Medals

• 🤝 A friend, who had successfully retrieved his own father's war records, contacted New Jersey Congressman Josh Godheimer.
• ✅ Congressman Godheimer and his staff worked to piece together the necessary information to secure the medals for the Lucas family.
• 🙏 Gus Lucas expressed deep appreciation for the efforts, stating he had no expectation of this ever happening.

Honoring Heroes

• 🗣️ Gus Lucas plans to hold a gathering to share the story with other family members, emphasizing that it's never too late to honor heroes.
• 🌟 He believes his father would be amazed and shy about the recognition, wishing his father and siblings could be present.