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W.W. II veteran’s medals presented to family members

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith presented several World War II medals to the family of the late Eugene Hahs.

His daughter, Gena Welker, said she knew about him being awarded the Purple Heart because he had been shot twice and stayed at a hospital overseas before coming back home.

She added that her father may not have known about receiving the other medals.

The day before Hahs died in 2004, he talked to his daughter about his service. “He talked about his service on Sunday, and died on Monday,” Welker said. Besides that day, he didn’t talk about his service with them.

“He was the kind of person who never wanted any glory or attention for what he did,” Welker said.

Smith said it was not uncommon for WWII veterans to not receive all the medals they were awarded. He said he has been able to present medals to several veterans who hadn’t received them previously.

Hahs was awarded the Purple Heart; the Good Conduct Medal; the American Campaign Medal; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with a double bronze star attachment; the W.W. II Victory Medal; the Philippine Liberation Medal with a triple bronze star attachment; and the Honorable Service Lapel Button from World War II.

Jay Forness covers education, county government and community events for The Cash-Book Journal. He graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in multimedia journalism and has lived in Jackson for the past five years. He can be reached at cbjedit@socket.net.

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