Grand Haven WWI veteran posthumously awarded Purple Heart
GRAND HAVEN — Grand Haven’s George Hunter Wills finally received his honors for serving, and being injured, in World War I on Friday, Jan. 5.
A local ceremony saw a crowd of area residents, city officials, veterans, military service members, family members and more at the Loutit District Library.
Verla Thomas, 93, accepted a Purple Heart medal and two other honorary medals on her father’s behalf, presented by U.S. Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, and Brigadier General Ravi Wagh of the Michigan National Guard.
Wagh said he's an alumni of the same battalion Willis served in: Commanding Third Battalion 126 Infantry, symbolized by the Red Arrow Division patch
The officer spoke about the significance of the Red Arrow Division, whose roots lie in Michigan and Wisconsin and combat history dates back to pre-Civil War. It saw the longest stretch of combat during World War II at 654 days.
“(The red arrow) represents the unit’s combat record of piercing every German defense they ever faced,” Wagh said. “Proud lineage, proud history, and Corporal Wills was indeed part of something incredibly special.”
George Wills was wounded in combat in France on Nov. 10, 1918, a day before the Armistice between the Germans and the Allied forces — the first step toward ending the war. Wills, born in 1892 in Spring Lake and a farmer by trade, was 26 when he joined the National Guard in 1918. He served with the Army after he got to France.
After being presented with the honorary medals, Thomas thanked those in attendance.
“In coming today, I’m sure there weren’t any of you who remember my father, but the legacy he left you do remember,” Thomas said. "I know how the war changed his life. He became a different man. He served all his life, which was very short, he died at 57, but I’ll never forget him — and today was just the frosting on the top of the cake.”
Her son, Dion Baldos, said he was “really surprised” at the turnout.
“For my grandpa, well deserved,” Baldos, who was born after Wills died, said. “I did see some of the things my mom kept over the years from his service. The one I remembered the most was his ticket for the ship he went over on.”
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Thomas and Scholten encouraged people in attendance to hold on to family artifacts.
“If you’ve got some history in your pocket, in your library, in your computer, that you keep it, that someday, perhaps, you’ll be called upon to remember that honorary thing that your ancestors did for this country,” Thomas said. “I’m so glad I could do that for my father today.”
“Go home, look through your ancestral belongings, and see if there might be something there that can help piece together a legacy or a record of someone in your family who has served,” Scholten said. “My office is here to help assist you. If you or someone you know might be eligible for a service medal, reach out to our team.
“There’s nothing more important than making sure the people that answered the call to serve our nation get the recognition that they deserve — that’s what today is all about. It’s the least we can do to repay them for their courage and sacrifice, but we know that it will never be enough."
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Grand Haven WWI veteran posthumously awarded Purple Heart
