New York vet gets Purple Heart 70 years after WWII battle

A 90-year-old New York man wounded by Japanese fighter planes in World War II has been awarded a Purple Heart-- 70 years after rescuing a fellow sailor.

Newsday reports (http://nwsdy.li/1OZGDQH ) that Frederick Stone of Stony Brook accepted the medal Sunday during a ceremony at the Navy Operational Support Center in Farmingdale.

The medal honors veterans wounded or killed in the line of duty.

Family members say metal plane fragments penetrated Stone's back and chest during the bombing of the USS Butler in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa.

Navy officials say Stone dragged a fellow sailor to a hospital ship before returning to battle.

Rep. Lee Zeldin found that Stone should've also received the Purple Heart when family members applied to have his damaged medals reissued.

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