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More than 70 years after he was wounded in combat during the Korean War, North Kingstown resident Edward W. Leeming was officially recognized as a Purple Heart recipient last week by U.S. Senator Jack Reed in a special medal ceremony at the Cranston Public Library.
More than 70 years after he was wounded in combat during the Korean War, North Kingstown resident Edward W. Leeming was officially recognized as a Purple Heart recipient last week by U.S. Senator Jack Reed in a special medal ceremony at the Cranston Public Library.
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — In the late part of 1950, Edward Leeming, then 18, lay in an overseas hospital bed either asleep or unconscious from a Korean War injury. He awoke to find a Purple Heart medal left unceremoniously on a bedside table.
Representatives of the U.S. Department of the Army placed it there without notice or even a recognition ceremony to mark the severely wounded and young Leeming’s efforts to defend his county, according to Leeming’s daughter, Mary Lou Rivera.
Now, 72 years later, that long-delayed recognition came. Earlier this month, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed hosted a special medal ceremony Leeming should have had seven decades earlier.
It brought a sense of closure for a Leeming, who will turn 90 shortly, in the dwindling years of his own life, said 60-year-old Rivera.
“He was very happy at what he (Reed) did. Like my father said, they (U.S. Army officials) gave it to him, but they never awarded it. They just left it there. He was asleep in a bed,” she said about the recollection that Leeming told several times to his seven children and wife.
Leeming was 17 when he joined the U.S. Army in 1949 and deployed to Korea the following year.
About a year and a half later on November 30, the U.S. Army private first class was wounded by enemy fire while serving with the 38th Infantry Regiment in the Koran War. His severe injuries sent him home from the war in need of several leg operations.
Decoration and medal ceremonies he expected to happen never materialized. Forgotten ceremonies, like this one for Korean War veterans, were also on President Joe Biden’s mind last May.
First Lt. Ralph Puckett was an Army Ranger during the Korean War when, on Nov. 25, 1950 — just days before Leeming’s injury — he exposed himself to Chinese machine-gun fire to allow his fellow Rangers to spot the enemy locations during a battle on Hill 205 near the Chongchon River.
Puckett was injured by both grenade fragments and mortar fire and spent a year recovering from his wounds after a medical evacuation. Biden called Puckett in early 2021 to let him know that his citation was being upgraded to a Medal of Honor, and the 94-year-old veteran attended the ceremony at the White House on May 21, 2021.
During the ceremony, Biden said, “This is an honor that was long overdue. More than 70 years overdue.”
Rivera said she felt the same way when seeking Reed’s help for a recognition delayed to her father.
Rivera also said her father became concerned after Sarah Jane Cavanaugh, the former commander of the North Kingstown Veterans of Foreign Wars, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of fraud, aggravated identity theft, forgery and fraudulent use of medals.
Cavanaugh claimed to be a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient despite no record of ever serving in the military.
This highly publicized issue caught his attention and left him fearful of displaying medals for which there wasn’t a ceremony and the proper paperwork to support having them. Ultimately, however, Rivera and her father agreed to celebrate this milestone of his life while he still has the ability to do so.
Reed’s recognition of Leeming for a Purple Heart with one bronze oak leaf cluster also came with the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with three bronze service stars, Combat Infantry Badge 1st award, and United Nations Service Medal.
“I am honored to present Mr. Leeming with the Purple Heart and other military honors he earned. These are but a small token of our enduring gratitude and respect for the service he rendered on behalf of our nation,” Reed said, adding that Leeming and other Korean War veterans deserve praise for “uncommon courage and extraordinary sacrifices.“
Reed, an Army veteran, is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The Purple Heart is the oldest U.S. military combat distinction soldiers still receive and it is awarded to uniformed personnel who were wounded or killed in combat.
Often referred to as the ‘Forgotten War,’ the Korean War took place from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953 and saw more than 36,000 American service personnel killed and 103,000 wounded, as well as countless others who went missing in action, in the fight to free South Korea from China-backed North Korea.
Rivera said that her father doesn’t like to talk about that war and suffered for many years from significant post-traumatic stress syndrome. He declined to be interviewed for this story.
“He waited 72 years to be awarded the medals and it happened just before his 90th birthday. That is just wonderful,” Rivera said.
Write to Bill Seymour, freelance writer covering news and feature stories, at independent.southcountylife@gmail.com.
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In the latest development of a years-long battle between the town of Narragansett and local tenants and landlords, Superior Court judge Sarah Taft-Carter this week halted an ordinance passed by the Narragansett Town Council that capped the number of unrelated individuals who can live together in a rental house to three. The move means that, until a court rules on the legality of the most-recent ordinance passed in August 2021, Narragansett is unable to enforce a limit on rental houses and apartments in town. Narragansett Town Manager James Tierney said the town has no timeline on when a decision may ultimately be made by the courts, putting the potential limit in limbo until it is legally decided. Do you believe a town should be allowed to limit how many unrelated individuals can life together in a single dwelling? Why or why not? Let us know in this week's poll question below.
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