Six decades after World War 2, Tom Harrison finally receives his medals

A former US soldier who spent time in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War 2 has finally received his medals, sixty years after the war ended. Tom Harrison, 93, was surprised when the medals arrived from a logistics centre in Philadelphia earlier this month.

The Utah veteran fought in the Pacific before being captured at the Battle of Bataan. He survived the gruelling Bataan Death March, and spent three years as a prisoner of war before being released. He is now the only survivor from his unit, and he eventually wrote a book, titled Survivor, in which he documents his experiences.

After World War 2, many veterans received ribbons instead of medals because there was a short supply of certain metals. Veterans could later request medals, but few did. Tom Harrison and his family say they didn’t request his medals, and they don’t know who did.