After 40 Years, Marine Gets His Medal

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Florida man has been honored for his service during the Vietnam War about 40 years after everyone in his 15-man patrol was wounded in a firefight. Marine veteran Frank Ambrose, whose patrol was wounded after they stumbled upon two battalions of the North Vietnamese Army, was recently awarded the Silver Star, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Friday. "If they had known we were coming, they would have set up a better ambush for us," he said. Soon after the incident, Ambrose arrived at a hospital for treatment for injuries, a one-star general and a gunnery sergeant showed up with a tape recorder to ask him about the firefight. They told him he had been recommended for a medal, but the award never came. About four years ago, Ambrose said he attended a military reunion and ran into one of the Marines he helped save during the firefight. The man asked what medal Ambrose received, and Ambrose told him he didn't get one. "The next thing I know, the colonel was talking to me," Ambrose said. Earlier this year, Ambrose received a phone call telling him the president had given him the award.

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