Veteran's Purple Heart: 80 Years in the Making

A son of a World War I veteran, Retired U.S. Army Col. Glenn Fisher was eager to serve following the attack on Pearl Harbor. A Trimble County native, Fisher grew up on a small farm during the height of the Depression era and answered the call to join up during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

Attempting to enlist at just 15 years old, Fisher was denied entry, so he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps instead. Less than a year later, at just 16, Fisher lied about his age to a recruiter and was on the front lines within a few months.

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He was deployed on Omaha Beach, just 30 days after D-Day. Facing intense gunfire, the days were hard. In 1945, on the Rhine River, the final defense line against Nazi Germany, Fisher’s unit was hit with an explosive blast, scattering hundreds of pieces of shrapnel. Fisher escaped with pieces in his leg and right under his eye. He went in and out of consciousness, waiting for medics to arrive, and was eventually sent to the Netherlands for more intensive treatment.

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Colonel Fisher spent 18 months in Europe during World War II and continued on with a 37-year career in the U.S. Army. That day in 1945 still lives with him, and he carries the German shrapnel still in his leg and eye. He considers himself lucky to have made it to 100 years of age when so many men died at 18 on the battlefield.

A recipient of France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honor Medal, Fisher faced challenges to receive his Purple Heart. After attempts in 1981 and 2010, Fisher was repeatedly met with inconclusive answers leading back to a record warehouse fire. Many records were burned in a 1973 fire in St. Louis, but Fisher was still in the Reserves at this time, so his records were stored in a different facility.

Finally, after years of searching and being denied an honor he felt he deserved, Fisher was presented with the Purple Heart he earned more than 80 years ago. Being pinned with the medal on the 250^th anniversary of the United States makes the significance that much more special.

AARP is proud to support veterans and their families. More resources for veterans and their families can be found at aarp.org/veterans