It’s been more than 75 years since William George Schumacher served in World War II, and for the first time, he’s becoming a member of the American Legion.
His membership was presented as a surprise from Post 372 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Tuesday night along with a shadow box filled with several medals of honor, ribbons and patches the Navy and Marine veteran never received after returning home from Okinawa, Japan.
“It happened a lot to many veterans that they just separated from the service and never followed up on anything,” said Daniel O’Pella, senior vice commander of American Legion Post 372.
“They did what they had to do, and collecting medals was not important. It was about the service,” said daughter Trish Desalvo.
After growing up in Delair, New Jersey, at 17 years old, Schumacher lied about his age to enlist in the Navy and fight for his country. He’s now 97 years old, the patriarch of five generations, including an impressive 31 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren, who all call him Pop…