Jamestown Sun - Honoring Service

News Article

By Keith Norman

A Vietnam veteran and the family of a soldier killed in World War II received recognition for service Thursday in ceremonies in Carrington and Jamestown.

"It is all about thanking and giving recognition," said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who presented a Purple Heart to James Laurie for wounds he received in Vietnam in 1967 and the Silver Star to the family of Reinholdt Hofmann, who was killed in action in the Philippines in 1945.

The Silver Star is the third highest medal the U.S. awards to its men and women in the armed services, Hoeven said. He presented the medal to the Hofmann family at the All Vets Club in Jamestown.

Hofmann was part of the invasion force on the Philippine islands. On Jan. 16, 1945, he crossed open ground under enemy fire to reach a wounded soldier. On the return to the American lines, he was killed by sniper fire.

The medal will be displayed at the Medina Veterans of Foreign Wars club, Hoeven said.

"We hope that this Silver Star," Hoeven said, "... will serve as a tribute to a true American hero, Reinholdt Hofmann, and remind us all of the sacrifices of our nation's greatest generation."

The medal was accepted on behalf of the extended family in attendance by nephew Duane "Tony" Hofmann, who said the award was a tribute to the family and the soldiers who served with Hofmann.

Jeff Hinz, another nephew of Hofmann, said the medal was representative of the qualities he understood his uncle possessed.

"The Silver Star," he said. "That's an indication of what kind of man he was."

James Laurie, Bowdon, N.D., was injured after he and a fellow soldier went into a tunnel in Bin Din Province, Vietnam, in August 1967. An explosion in the tunnel blew Laurie out of the tunnel, producing shrapnel wounds to the neck. Laurie was not medevaced from the scene until the next day.

The soldier with Laurie was killed by the explosion.

Laurie said he was very proud to receive the medal even if it was 50 years late. Hoeven presented him with the medal during a ceremony Thursday at the Foster County Courthouse in Carrington.

Laurie's wife, Marie, said the award "not only honored a soldier but the best husband, father and grandfather around."

She received a purple rose as part of the ceremony.

Corean Swart, veterans service officer for Foster County, considered the presentation of the award a success.

"I applied once myself and was denied," she said. "I asked Hoeven's office, and they (Hoeven's office staff) were denied the first time but finally succeeded."

Laurie said his original medal was likely delayed because of what was happening in Vietnam at that time. His commanding officer, who should have made the original request for the medal, was killed in action about a week after he was wounded. Laurie didn't make any requests himself for the medal, preferring to remain private about his service.

"We're overwhelmed," Marie Laurie said. "We don't put ourselves in the limelight. This is just awesome."

David Bratton, veterans service officer for Stutsman County, said medal applications do sometimes fall through the cracks.

"Paperwork gets lost in the shuffle," he said. "Usually these things have to work their way up the chain of command and if one piece gets lost it might have to start over."

Even if the process takes decades, it is still important to do, Swart said.

"It means we finally honored the gentleman in the right way," she said.

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