RICHMOND, Ky. -- Like many American WWII veterans, when the war ended, they just wanted to go home; home to family, friends, normal life, and perhaps time to recover from the physical and mental tolls that war exact. They didn't consider themselves heroes, nor did they give a thought about being recognized for their service and sacrifice. Hubert D. "HD" Jasper, of Paris, KY, was one of those veterans.
From 1943 to the end of the war in Europe, HD served with the 1st Army, Ninth Division, 60th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion Company D, 81 mm Mortar Platoon; landing at Utah Beach in Normandy and fighting all the way to Berlin. Along the way, he was one of more than 600,000 U.S. servicemen involved in the Battle of the Bulge, in which U.S. forces suffered their highest casualties of any operation in the war.
"It was mighty good to get back on U.S. soil after the war," he said. "Most of the service people had been in the army and had been fighting through the whole war, and they wanted to forget about it. A medal wouldn't have meant much then. Plus I had a 14-month-old son that I hadn't seen yet."
On March 30, 2015, HD's past caught up with him. Family, friends, and special guests, including Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr and Brigadier General Benjamin F. Adams III, Chief of Joint Staff, Kentucky Army National Guard, gathered to honor the 95-year-old veteran in a private ceremony. HD was presented: Bronze Star Medal, French Legion of Honor Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one Silver Service Star, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, Combat Infantryman Badge, Honorable Service Lapel Button-World War II and Belgian Fourragere.
Blue Grass Army Depot also was part of the ceremony. Retired Army Colonel and fellow infantryman Tom Turning, representing Commander Colonel Lee Hudson, presented HD with the coveted "Kentucky Colonel" membership certificate signed by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, along with the Depot Commander's Coin. In conclusion, Colonel Turning relayed his own family's history in the Army Infantry, presenting HD with his father's Combat Infantryman Badge from WWII along with the 9th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia.
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