World War II veteran receives Purple Heart 81 years after Rhine wound

A Kentucky World War II veteran wounded fighting Nazi Germany has finally received one of the nation’s most solemn military honors after waiting more than eight decades.

For 81 years, Glenn Fisher lived without the Purple Heart he believed he earned on a World War II battlefield. On Wednesday, the 99-year-old Army veteran finally received it.

“I’ve been so excited, I haven’t been able to sleep at night thinking about what a wonderful thing is happening,” Fisher said during Wednesday’s ceremony at Louisville’s Frazier History Museum. “Sometimes I’d wake up and say, ‘now, is this really true?’ And it is, it’s really true.”

The Purple Heart, awarded to U.S. service members wounded or killed by enemy action, comes just months before Fisher’s 100th birthday and follows years of unsuccessful efforts to have his wartime injuries formally recognized.

‘NOBODY SHOULD GO ALONE’: 1,500 STRANGERS HONOR WWII VETERAN WITH NO KNOWN FAMILY

WHAS11 first reported Fisher’s story in March as he sought to receive the award before turning 100.

According to previous reporting by WHAS11, Fisher enlisted in the Army in 1943 at just 16 years old after obtaining his parents’ permission. He later landed on Utah Beach in France and was wounded on March 25, 1945, while waiting to cross the Rhine River after German artillery struck his unit.

Fisher previously said his injuries were never properly documented during the war, which he said delayed his receiving the Purple Heart.

“Never did hear back from them,” Fisher previously said of one of his early attempts to obtain the medal.

Years later, he tried again but said the Army informed him it could not find sufficient evidence to approve the award.

‘NOBODY SHOULD GO ALONE’: 1,500 STRANGERS HONOR WWII VETERAN WITH NO KNOWN FAMILY

Despite those setbacks, Fisher continued pursuing the recognition with help from longtime friend Jeff Thoke, who spent years researching Fisher’s military service and compiling hundreds of pages of historical records for military officials.

“He represents the best of America,” Thoke said Wednesday. “We can’t thank him enough for all that he has done. He loves his country; he’s one of the most patriotic men.”

According to previous reporting, Fisher served with the Army’s 556th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Weapons Battalion. He fought during the Battle of the Bulge before being wounded near the Rhine River in the closing months of World War II.

WHAS11 reported Fisher returned to his unit weeks after being wounded, later met Soviet forces at the Elbe River one day before Victory in Europe Day and eventually served as part of the official escort for President Harry S. Truman during Truman’s arrival in Antwerp, Belgium, before returning home.

Wednesday’s ceremony appeared to mark the end of a journey Fisher had spent decades pursuing.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“It’s really true,” he said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Army for additional information about Fisher’s Purple Heart but did not immediately receive a response.