A Harford County man lost all the military service medals awarded to him in a fire years ago. Monday evening, his family and a Maryland Congressman helped him reclaim his glory.
Leroy Edmunds, 85, served in the Korean War after being drafted, he said. A fire on his property in 2010 left the medals unrecognizable.
"They dug them out of the fire, and by the end, it was just brown pieces of copper that didn't burn up. Everything else was gone," said Edmunds.
It's through the doors of the small, Bel Air district office of Rep. Andy Harris that a family met, with little ceremony, to stand with Edmunds, a ret. Army Sgt., in reclaiming something that, even in his mind, was gone.
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It started with his daughter, Jean Anne Wilson, who refused to let their memory fade.
On-and-off since the fire, Wilson said she's worked to see them replaced, but was slowed by the government red tape that Rep. Harris was able to cut through.
"He helps everyone, so I wanted to do something good for him," Wilson said.
The medals Edmunds thought were gone were now his again. He became emotional after a short presentation in which his medals were handed to him.
"I had told him about it, that I was working on it, but this evening, I didn't tell him all what was going to happen and I invited all of the kids up here," said Wilson.
Edmunds said he was appreciative of the work done by everyone in order to help him.
"I'm up in the clouds right now because I never thought I'd get them back. I just thought they'd be gone," Edmunds said. "I can't even tell you how I feel."
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