A mid-Michigan World War II veteran was awarded three service medals today nearly eight decades following his service during the occupation of Japan in 1946
Ret. Army Cpl. Carl Zupic never received his service medals after coming from home and said during a medal presentation ceremony he had forgotten all about them.
Many veterans never receive medals for their service in foreign wars due to bureaucratic errors.
Surrounded by friends, family, his wife Beverly and care takers at the American Legion in Midland, Zupic said he enlisted in the Army because "they were going to get me anyway and I beat them to it...I was part of the country that was participating, and I needed to be part of it, and it turned out extremely well."
Zupic said receiving the medals brought back memories he hasn’t thought of in decades.
"When the family got word of this, that's what brought it all back. I feel great about seeing them. It was well worth waiting for," Zupic told WCMU.
In addition to his three service medals, World War II Victory Medal, Army Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button World War II, Zupic was presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Caledonia.
At 97, Zupic is one of the last survivors of a bygone era dubbed the Greatest Generation.
According to 2022 data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, just over 167,000 were still alive with 180 dying everyday across the country.
In Michigan, the 2022 data says less than 6,000 Michigan World War II veterans were still alive.
