Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs
4/25/2014 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- What began as a standard awards ceremony quickly turned into the surprise of a lifetime.
Maj David Strawbridge, Air Force Special Operations Command reserve intelligence officer, was presented the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Afghanistan by U.S. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, April 17.
But that is not where this story ends.
Strawbridge, a Delaware native, spent most of his childhood years listening to his uncle, Francis Weaver, an Army technician during WWII reminisce about his time in the military and wondered why Weaver had not received any type of recognition.
After spending many years trying to track down information about his uncle, Strawbridge was able to witness Weaver, receive a series of medals from his time in the service - 70 years later.
According to military records, Weaver entered the U.S. Army in 1944 at Fort Dix, N.J., and upon graduation from basic training he was sent to Harlingen, Texas to train as a door gunner for the B-24 Liberator. Shortly after, he was pulled to train in the infantry to be part of the Japanese invasion force.
"His time in the Army Air Corps and the Army was short, but also very important," said Strawbridge. "He was part of the 23rd Infantry Division, also known as the Americal Division, and was sent on a boat to Japan, but stopped in the Philippines first to clear out the remaining Japanese forces on the islands. He told me the story of how he and another guy were out on patrol in Cebu and they had three Japanese soldiers surrender to them."
In 2011, Strawbridge began his journey to track the medals his uncle never knew he earned 70 years ago, but this proved to be no easy task.
"I uploaded the necessary documents online and received a rejection letter because they thought he was deceased," said Strawbridge. "Another rejection letter said to send in his DD Form 214, --well they didn't have those back then; and then I found out that there was a fire at the military records depository in St Louis in 1973. I just kept hitting wall after wall."
In January 2013, Strawbridge was hit with a stroke of luck when he met Coons while in Kabul, Afghanistan.
"He was at ISAF HQ [International Security Assistance Force headquarters] and we were both excited to see another person from Delaware so we exchanged e-mail addresses," Strawbridge said, who kept in contact with the senator after their meeting in Afghanistan.
Upon his return from deployment, Strawbridge reached out to Coon's office and asked for their assistance. They were able to gather enough documentation to officially issue Weaver's medals.
After speaking to the senator, both agreed that the presentation ceremony for Strawbridge would be the perfect time to surprise Weaver with his medals.
Unbeknownst to Weaver, immediately after his nephew was presented his Bronze Star medal, he would be up next to receive his long overdue medals.
Completely caught off guard, Weaver made his way to the stage.
"This was a big surprise, big surprise," said Weaver, wiping away tears. "I had no idea what was going on. When I landed in Seattle to come home off the boat and caught a train home, there were no medals. We just came home, and that was it."
Coons presented Weaver with five medals - the Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, and the Philippine Liberation Medal for his exemplary service as a member of the 23rd Infantry Division from 1944 to 1946.
"One of the most satisfying parts of this job is being able to help America's veterans receive the honors that they have earned and that they so richly deserve," said Coons.
Not only was Weaver stunned by such a wonderful surprise, Strawbridge was as well.
"This was an incredible honor to have uncle Franny get all of his recognition and awards," said Strawbridge. "I expected one or two. I did not expect the 'bling' that he is wearing now which is well deserved."
Editor's Note: The DD Form 214, Discharge Papers and Separation Documents, is issued when a service member performs on active duty or at least 90 days of consecutive days of active duty training. It may include the service member's date and place of entry into active duty, home address, decorations, medals, total time in service, and many other service related information. The information contained in the form is normally needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment and membership in veterans' organizations
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