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Light Drizzle Fog/Mist ‘It feels like a dream’
70 years later, veteran receives Purple Heart
For 70 years, Leonard Stern rarely talked about his war experiences. On Monday, his service in the U.S. Army was the focus, as he was awarded a Purple Heart by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
In a ceremony at the Wantagh American Legion Post 1273 hall, Stern, 88, was joined by his family, friends and fellow veterans to receive one of the most prestigious medals for military service. It is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were wounded or killed by the enemy in combat.
Stern was born in Cincinnati and raised in New York City. He was drafted in 1944, at the height of World War II. After 17 weeks of training, he was sent to Germany as a replacement soldier, and was on the front lines with the 393rd Infantry Regiment of the 99th Infantry Division. He was captured by the German military, and, because he was Jewish, heeded the advice of a fellow soldier to get rid of his dog tags.
He was later freed by U.S. soldiers, and continued fighting. Stern was in a foxhole when a shell exploded, knocking him unconscious and killing his comrade. Later he was given a desk job at an air base in England where, coincidentally, his brother, Eugene, had been sent to fix planes.
According to Stern’s son, David, who did the legwork to get his father the Purple Heart, an MRI of his brain years later still showed evidence of the concussion he suffered in battle.
Gillibrand explained that Stern had been awarded the Purple Heart, but never received it because his records were destroyed in a 1973 fire at the National Archives. She commended David Stern for his efforts.
“I work very hard to make sure those who have earned these medals receive them,” said Gillibrand, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee. “It’s one of the most important medals you can receive.”
Leonard Stern was all smiles. “I was convinced it would never happen,” he said. “It feels like a dream. I’m going to wake up any minute, but no, it’s real.”
He and his wife, Judy, moved to northern Seaford and raised their three sons, David, Larry and Richard, who are all graduates of General Douglas MacArthur High School in Levittown.
