Back on February 7, 1945, veteran Sgt. Harold "Bud" Pressel was on board his B-25 liberator in Germany, serving during World War II. He was shot down by the Germans, broke his left eardrum, and was eventually captured by the Nazis, spending months as a prisoner of war. He was eventually liberated in April 1945. However, he never received his Purple Heart. Now, 80 years later, his heroism has finally been officially recognized.
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According to WGAL, before he turned 101, Pressel attended a heartfelt ceremony in Dallastown to finally receive his Purple Heart. This military decoration is awarded to all soldiers who became wounded or killed while serving in the U.S. military. However, for Pressel, this decoration never came to be.
After he was liberated by Gen. George Patton, he eventually returned to his York County home after the war. He suffered from permanent hearing loss due to the injuries he sustained in Germany. For eight decades, however, his Purple Heart never arrived, as his military documents were destroyed back in 1945. He has now been made whole, however, as U.S. Air Force Major Gen. David Lyons pinned the Purple Heart on his blue sweater.
"As the commander of the 15th Air Force, it is my tremendous honor to be here for the unique opportunity to correct a long-standing oversight," Lyons said during the ceremony.
A moved Presel, who, according to the York Daily Record, was "never, never" saluted by a general, talked about his time during the war.
"I always told myself while flying, 'Be calm,' because if you panic, no good," Pressel said. "I made up my mind that I'm going to survive and that was it. You were scared but I felt I knew I was going to make it."
Honored Posthumously
Harold "Bud" Pressel was not the only one to receive the Purple Heart. One of his fellow soldiers, Maj. Richard Olson, who not only served alongside Pressel but was also imprisoned alongside him in the same POW camp, also received a posthumous decoration.
Olson was shot down of his B-12 one day after the Normandy Invasion on June 13, 1944. He would assist his crew despite having shell fragments in his leg. On the Italian coast, he was captured and spent 11 months in the camp. Pressler joined him at the camp in February 1945, and they were both liberated in April by Gen. George Patton.
Olson retired from the military in 1961. He lived in Montana until he died in 1996. Accepting the medal on his behalf, his grandsons, Eric and Mark Olson, attended the ceremony. Mark spoke during the ceremony.
"It's a legacy," Mark said. "Keeping stories like my grandfather's alive, that's what it's all about. It's tremendously inspiring and encouraging. It means you can do anything. There are the words 'never forget' and there is never forgetting. That's why we're here today."
Mark Olson got to meet Pressler while they both went through the documentation process for the service. "I never met my grandfather, and guys like Bud are like my adopted grandfathers," he said.
