CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — Four Vietnam veterans were honored on Wednesday, Sept. 18 in Cumberland County at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center.
Michael Hughes, John Lesser, Robert Fonzino and John Phillip Smith received the Bronze Star Medal for Valor. Commanding General of the U.S. Army War College Major General David Charles Hill presented the awards, which recognize the courage and sacrifice of these American heroes.
"It's amazing to see folks get recognized for acts like that, it's stuff that comes out for a storybook or a movie," said Lieutenant Colonel Eric Alexander.
"They're deserving of recognition and I know that my generation of soldiers and generations that follow take much away from the living example of these veterans," said Maj. Gen. Hill.
The four veterans were part of a rescue mission to recover the bodies of two fallen American soldiers in enemy territory and return them to their families.