Better late than never: Korean War vet receives medals at JBLM

By Sgt. Leon CookSeptember 10, 2014

Better late than never: Korean War vet receives medals at JBLM
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Better late than never: Korean War vet receives medals at JBLM
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The 7th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Terry Ferrell chats with James Hayden, a retired master sergeant and veteran of both World War II and Korea, prior to an awards ceremony for Hayden Sept. 3. The 88-year-old Hayden finally received a Priso... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Better late than never: Korean War vet receives medals at JBLM
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Terry Ferrell, 7th Infantry Division commander, pins a Prisoner of War Medal onto James Hayden, a retired master sergeant and veteran of both World War II and Korea, at an awards ceremony for Hayden Sept. 3. The 88-year-old Hayden earned th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Better late than never: Korean War vet receives medals at JBLM
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Terry Ferrell, 7th Infantry Division commander, shakes hands with James Hayden, a retired master sergeant and veteran of both World War II and Korea, at an awards ceremony for Hayden Sept. 3. The 88-year-old Hayden earned the Prisoner of Wa... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Better late than never: Korean War vet receives medals at JBLM
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Family, friends, and well-wishers stand next to James Hayden, a retired master sergeant and veteran of both World War II and Korea, at an awards ceremony for Hayden Sept. 3. The 88-year-old Hayden finally received a Prisoner of War Medal he earned du... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Better late than never: Korean War vet receives medals at JBLM
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Terry Ferrell, 7th Infantry Division commander, poses with James Hayden, a retired master sergeant and veteran of both World War II and Korea, after awarding Hayden a Silver Star Sept. 3. The 88-year-old Hayden was on JBLM to receive a Pris... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - When James Hayden was a prisoner of war, the future was never a priority. His every thought was consumed with surviving the present. Surviving on the meager portions of food his Chinese captors gave him. Surviving as he braved sub-zero temperatures without proper winter clothing. Surviving as he buried his less-fortunate comrades.

He had no idea that someday, nearly 61 years after he was freed from captivity, he would stand in front of his family and friends and receive recognition for his sacrifice.

But that is precisely what happened Sept. 3, 2014, at a ceremony on Joint Base Lewis-McChord when Maj. Gen. Terry Ferrell, commander of the 7th Infantry Division, pinned a Prisoner of War Medal onto his lapel, as well as a Korean War Service Medal from the Republic of Korea.

"I didn't expect this," the now 88-year-old Hayden said. "I didn't ask for any of it."

"That's what makes you special," Ferrell said.

It was a long overdue award for the elderly veteran, who retired from the Army as a master sergeant. The ceremony was the product of a three-year effort undertaken by his daughter Judy and his friend Ken Donner.

"I was over at his house and I was flipping through POW Magazine," Donner said. "I saw in there where prisoners of war could receive the Prisoner of War Medal, so I figured since he earned it, he should get one."

It sounded like a simple process to Donner, but it turned out to be anything but. When he tried to get records proving Hayden was a POW, he learned those records had been destroyed in a fire. He and Judy didn't give up on getting the award, but met with dead ends at every turn.

Eventually, Donner mentioned it to Washington state representative Linda Kochmar, and she immediately went to work. Within two months, the medal was approved.

"Little slow in recognition, but it's never too late," Ferrell said.

The ceremony allowed those who attended to recognize more than Hayden's time in captivity. They could celebrate an entire lifetime of service to the nation and to the community.

James Hayden was born in 1925 and lived in Fancy Farm, Ky. until he entered the Army in 1944. He served with distinction in Europe, and was promoted to sergeant.

On March 15, 1945, as Allied forces closed in on Hitler's last footholds in Germany, Hayden investigated a tunnel complex in which German troops were suspected of hiding. The enemy inside threw a hand grenade at him, and the blast destroyed his rifle.

Hayden got another weapon and went right back in. In the ensuing battle, he single-handedly killed two, wounded four, and captured 12 German soldiers. For his heroism that day, Hayden received a Silver Star.

A few weeks later, Hayden was wounded in the leg and received a Purple Heart. The war ended soon after, and Hayden went to Fort Lewis.

While serving at Fort Lewis, he met his wife, Dorothy, in 1947. He also reenlisted because he discovered he liked military life.

When the Korean War broke out, Hayden was back on the frontlines, fighting for his life. On Dec. 1, 1950, after a vicious overnight battle with Chinese forces, his unit was surrounded. His commander surrendered rather than allowing the Chinese to pick them all off.

Hayden said he was captured with about a hundred others from his unit, and a lot of them didn't make it. He credits his survival to his strong faith.

Hayden was a prisoner until the cease-fire put an end to active hostilities in Korea. On Sept. 5, 1953, Hayden was finally freed from captivity. He had lost 65 pounds and his bones had been ravaged by malnutrition, but he was alive. He would spend close to a year in a hospital while doctors repaired his spine.

Finally, he returned home to his wife and 4-year-old daughter, Donna. Hayden could finally think about the future, and the next year, the happy couple had a second daughter, Judy.

Hayden became a medical specialist and continued to serve his country in the Army until 1962, when health complications from his time as a POW proved too great. He medically retired after 18 years of service.

Hayden's injuries precluded working, so he shifted his life's focus. Rather than serving his country, he would serve his family and community. Although he was "commissioned" a Kentucky colonel in 1953, Hayden chose to stay in Lakewood for most of his life.

He was a member of the Tacoma Elks Lodge, and was also a very active member at Saint Francis Cabrini Catholic Church in Lakewood.

He stayed active throughout his life. He was an avid mall-walker and walked around Tacoma Mall every morning, meeting his friends for coffee afterward.

Hayden took care of his family whenever they were ill, putting his medical skills to good use. He took care of his wife Dorothy when she got sick and eventually died. He later remarried and took care of his second wife as illness claimed her. He moved back to Kentucky when his sister took ill and eventually moved her to Lakewood so he could take better care of her. She too eventually died.

Now age has finally caught up with him too. His hands constantly shake, and despite using a hearing aid, he constantly asks people to repeat themselves. He can't attend Mass as frequently as he'd like, and he no longer exercises at the mall.

Hayden was surprised when he learned he would finally get his medals, but he said he didn't feel he deserved such a fuss.

"I never did anything special. I was just doing my job," he said.

Linda Kochmar, the state representative who was so instrumental in getting him his awards, disagrees. She feels that not only was he going above the call of duty, but he deserves more than a Silver Star for his actions in World War II. She is working to have it upgraded to a Medal of Honor.

And the Silver Star itself? At his ceremony, Hayden revealed that though he had the citation for it, it had been mailed to his home of record rather than presented to him. His mother and sister eventually lost it.

With the resources of a division commander on the case, that situation was rectified in less than half an hour. Hayden finally got his Silver Star, and he even had his original citation with him.

Better late than never.