Middletown NJ WWII vet gets purple heart after 80 years

Thomas Culkin of Middletown, New Jersey, is what some people call "old-time tough."

Imagine being a 21-year-old gunner on a B-17 bomber, and getting shot down over Belgium; and shrapnel tearing into your back in the process. You lose other crewmates, but you survive only to be captured by Germans and imprisoned for two years; escaping once and injuring your spine and your leg in a jump off of a train. Then, being recaptured and nearly bludgeoned to death by the Gestapo. Then being forced in a death march through the Alps where you saw many other POWs drop dead of dysentery and pneumonia.

Staff Seargent Thomas P. Culkin in his flight suit (Photo from the office of Congressman Chris Smith)

That was Thomas Culkin. He survived it all. Came home to the United States and worked hard, raised a family, and passed away in his 60s in 1986. All that time, he should have had something that he didn’t.

A Purple Heart.

Purple Heart Medal (Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images)

He tried to get what was owed him, but hit one bureaucratic wall after another, and the red tape was insurmountable during his lifetime. Years later, his family picked up the cause.

Why wasn’t he awarded his Purple Heart? Injuries received when you are a prisoner of war are not eligible to be considered. Ridiculous, right? But then what about the shrapnel injury in his back from being shot down? Red tape. That somehow apparently got lumped in with the POW injuries, and not an injury in battle.

His family took up the cause as I said, and kudos to U.S. Rep. Chris Smith who pushed it through to fruition with the Department of Defense. All these years later, after all that effort, Thomas Culkin was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, along with other medals; including the Air Medal for "heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight."

Rep. Chris Smith (Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images)

On Monday, Smith presented them to his family members.

Also, Smith has pledged to introduce legislation, "to make it absolutely clear — to make sure our POWs who get injured get that Purple Heart."

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