Congressman Neal Dunn paid World War II veteran Don Lower a visit on New Year’s Eve at his Panama City home to personally deliver six new medals replacing the set he'd lost.
PANAMA CITY — World War II veteran Don Lower rang in the new year with a fresh set of service medals, courtesy of Congressman Neal Dunn and the Army.
Dunn paid Lower a visit on New Year’s Eve at his Panama City home to personally deliver six new medals replacing the set he'd lost. Lower's daughter, Connie Lower, reached out to the Army for a replacement set because she'd never seen her father's originals, which included recognition for good conduct and honorable service. The Army then got in touch with Dunn, who became the delivery man.
Dunn’s visit was a surprise to Lower, who speaks little about his time in the service.
“If I’d have known he was coming, I wouldn’t have been here,” Lower, who’s 92, said. “I’m proud of the medals. But it’s nothing I did personally. It was the unit I was in.”
Lower served in the Army in the 1940s with the 129th AAA Gun Battalion, which took him to Britain and Normandy, among other places. He was 16 when the Pearl Harbor attack happened and drafted in 1943 at the age of 18.
“All I had was 13 weeks of basic training,” Lower said. “I’m an 18 year old country boy. Radar isn’t in my vocabulary. All I knew was a rifle was used to kill rabbits and squirrels and to hunt."
His daughter said she applied online for the medals and initially thought they would just be mailed in. What she wasn't expecting was Dunn to personally deliver them.
“I was impressed he took the time out, especially during a holiday, to hand-deliver them,” Connie Lower said. “I personally think all veterans should be recognized.”
Dunn said Lower’s records were recovered after being destroyed in the 1973 National Personnel Center Records fire.
“It was a happy occasion,” Dunn, a veteran himself, said. “His family knew I was coming and they were all very happy. It was a special honor.”
Dunn’s visit was the first time Lower met a congressional representative.