After 55 Years, Bronze Star Will Be Awarded To Vietnam Veteran, Wall

WALL, NJ — A long-overdue medal will be presented Saturday to a Vietnam veteran for his meritorious service protecting his fellow soldiers from incoming enemy mortar in 1967.

Former Army Spec. 5 George Bednarski, now 77, will be presented with the Bronze Star Medal by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith - 55 years to the day since he was discharged from the Army on Oct. 8, 1967.

The presentation will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. at VFW Post 1838, 30 Ridge Ave., Manasquan.

Smith, R-NJ, persevered with Bednarski, a Wall resident, to make the award a reality.

Before he left Vietnam, Bednarski's superior officers had agreed to put in for a medal to recognize his exceptionally skilled performance, but the recommendation was lost in the military theater, Smith's office said in a news release.

For the past 15 years, the medal had been denied for "technical reasons," Smith's office said.

But Smith was able to convince the secretary of the Army to cut through the red tape and approve the medal.

Such a high medal must be presented by a Command-grade (a general or a colonel) officer or high government official, such as a member of Congress. Bednarski requested that Smith present the award, Smith's office said.

Smith will present the Bronze Star to Bednarski at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1838 in Manasquan, where Bednarski is a member.