WWII medals presented to veteran’s family after 72 years

Listening to Donna Williams talk about her late father, Carl Huff Sr., a World War II veteran, it’s plain to see he was, like so many of his generation who fought in the war, a true hero. One story in particular stands out.

Huff, who was drafted in 1943 served in the Pacific Campaign as a Seaman First Class. He was on an island when a suicide Japanese submarine was discovered offshore. The vessel, assumed to be highly explosive, had to be examined and brought to shore. It was so dangerous the commanding officer asked for an unmarried soldier to take on the task. When none volunteered, Huff – who was married with two young children at home – stepped forward.

“No one would volunteer, so Dad did,” said Williams. “He pulled it out and there were two dead Japs in it. … Thank goodness it didn’t blow up.”

Williams said her dad rarely ever talked about his war experiences. “I couldn’t get much out of him,” she said. “He said it was too many bad memories and he didn’t want to remember.”

In the years immediately following the war, Williams said her dad suffered from what is now known as PTSD. Her mother said he would have nightmares and would sometimes even unintentionally break furniture when he jumped out of bed, terrified because he thought he was in a battle.

Stories such as that one only began coming out when he grew older. At that time, Williams had become interested in genealogy and didn’t want this part of her father’s history to die with him. She got him to open up by having him talk with other veterans. “They could get things out of him that I couldn’t; they could relate to each other.”

One thing that was missing from her father’s memorabilia were his war medals. “I think they kind of fell through the cracks,” said Williams. “He never mentioned it until he was in his 80s.” The medals he had earned were listed on his discharge papers, but Huff never received them.

See the full story in today's issue of The Salem Democrat, on newsstands now.