Passinault served for only five days before he was wounded
MUNISING -- A World War II veteran is receiving medals of honor 65 years after his service.
Ninety-one-year-old Louie Passinault of Munising opened his mail last week and found seven medals for his Marine service in Iwo Jima in 1945. Passinault served for only five days before he was wounded in a mortar shell attack that wiped out his entire unit.
His son, Tom, along with others from the Marine Corps league, wrote to the U.S. government back in the fall to appeal for the medals that Passinault was never awarded.
"It's just a surprise is all it was, of course," said Tom.
"He's the only one who more or less said you should have them, you should have them, and I never realized I forgot them...I think they're nice to have, alright, for the future for the kids. After 60 years you wait this long to get the medals, it's just something else again," said Louie Passinault, Iwo Jima Vet.
Some of the distinctions Passinault received are a Purple Heart, World War II Victory Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal, and Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.
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