Iowa World War II veteran honored decades after his death
By Beau Bowman
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — After 42 years since the passing of her husband, an Iowa World War II veteran, Jane Buck finally received the recognition she had been waiting for.
The acknowledgment came in the form of a package delivered to her home.
Buck’s husband, Yeoman First Class William John Buck Jr., passed away in 1982 from lymphoma, a condition linked to radiation exposure during his service in Japan after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Jane cherishes a collage of Bill’s medals, uniform patches, and even his diary, which notes his presence in Kure, Japan, on Christmas Day in 1945.
“All of these things are very precious, very priceless to me, they’re part of my life,” Jane said.
However, one piece had been missing from her collection dedicated to honoring her gold star husband: official recognition of his status as an atomic veteran.
Last week, nearly 80 years after his exposure, Jane received official paperwork from the Department of Defense and a new gold medal, confirming his status.
“The emotions were there,” she said as she choked up.
Despite Bill being gone for nearly half a century, Jane now has the official acknowledgment to accompany the medals, display, and photographs that attest to his bravery.
“To stand and hold this, and look at it with tears running, with tears running, it was a bittersweet experience, but I’m very proud,” Jane said.
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