Bishop for Congress

July 30, 2004

Local veteran to receive medals 59 years later

By JD Sumner jd.sumner@gaflnews.com

TIFTON -- Creeping along the treacherous terrain of war-torn Okinawa, a 20-year-old John D. Lindsey looked out into the Pacific twilight and took a bullet to the chest.

Attempting to run away from the hail of enemy gunfire, Lindsey took another round to his leg, and then again to his arm while crawling to a nearby entrenchment.

Nearly six decades later, the memories of that night are still fresh in Lindsey's memory and come Saturday, he'll have a more pleasant and hard-earned reminder of his service to his country.

Thanks to a group of dedicated friends and a Georgia congressman, the medals that had been lost to Lindsey for so long -- including a Purple Heart for the bullets taken on Okinawa -- will finally make their way into his possession Saturday morning, 59 years after Lindsey left the service.

"It was a great surprise to me," Lindsey said. "I was hit on June 17, 1945, and on July 31, 2004, I'll finally get my medals."

Lindsey served in the 6th Marine Division during World War II and saw action on Okinawa, Guam and Saipan before being wounded and sent to China.

Lindsey's son John Jr., along with John Danforth of the Military Order of the Purple Heart's Tifton chapter, lobbied Congressman Sanford Bishop to track down Lindsey's medals and allow them to be awarded to him in a ceremony scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Veterans' Memorial Park downtown.

"Sanford Bishop's office has been a great help in getting these medals," Lindsey said. "I couldn't thank people like John Danforth and Veyonnis James enough, they really helped make this happen."

Finally, about a week ago, Lindsey received confirmation that the Department of Defense had agreed to release his medals after 59 years.

Lindsey is well known throughout local veterans' organizations. Commander of the Disabled American Veterans, he is also associated with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

Lindsey drives area veterans to the Veterans' Administration hospital in Dublin and every Memorial Day, he and his fellow DAV members put hundreds of flags on the graves of dead veterans in Tift and the surrounding counties.

After recuperating in a hospital, Lindsey was stationed in China, guarding Japanese prisoners. Upon returning to the states, he got a job at Western Auto, where he worked for 18 years.

To contact reporter J.D. Sumner, call 382-4321, ext. 208.

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