BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Western New York veteran has finally been honored with the medals he earned more than 75 years ago.
Congressman Brian Higgins awarded 95-year-old Carl Koeppelle with four medals on Wednesday, including the World War II victory medal and the honorable service button.
The Buffalo native was born in 1924. He was drafted to serve in the Army during World War II, just shy of his 19th birthday.
"I think it's going to make him feel a lot more comfortable in the long run and everything, seeing that he lost his wife a year ago," said David Willard, a VFW chaplain who is also Koeppelle's nephew-in-law. "I mean, it's something to honor him and the family."
Koeppelle will also be joining other local veterans Thursday for a Warrior Flight to visit Washington, D.C., and his family wanted him to have his medals in time for the trip.
RELATED: Local WWI vet receives purple heart
RELATED: Lackawanna honors hometown heroes