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Foxx presents medals to Korean War vet from Westfield
Westfield, NC,
June 15, 2008
A Surry County man received some new hardware Friday, medals signifying his service to the country during the Korean War.
A Surry County man received some new hardware Friday, medals signifying his service to the country during the Korean War.
Cpl. John Karfit of Westfield and his family had been trying for eight years to secure the medals Karfit earned as a veteran of the war waged more than 50 years ago. However, they ran into a wall of bureaucracy that veterans sometimes encounter when trying to access information to back up their service records and earning of medals. After contacting the office of Rep. Virginia Foxx, Surry County's congressional representative, several months ago, Karfit finally received his deserved medals. “Our nation's freedoms are founded on the sacrifices of heroes like Corporal Karfit,” Foxx said during a medal-presentation ceremony held Friday at her district office in Clemmons, which was attended by members of the veteran's family. “We owe him a debt of gratitude, and these much-deserved medals are only a small down-payment on what he earned by his service to this country,” Foxx added. “It is a deep honor to make good on the recognition he deserves.” The medals the Westfield man received on Friday include the National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with Bronze Star Attachment and Silver Star Attachment, Combat Infantry Badge 1st Award, United Nations Service Medal and Army of Occupation Medal and Japan Clasp. Karfit, who served four years in the U.S. Army, also was wounded in Korea, but the military does not have records of his hospitalization and wounds. He and his family continue to pursue the necessary documents that would enable the Army to authorize Karfit to receive the Purple Heart, which is awarded to those wounded or killed while serving with the U.S. military. |
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