Camden County celebrates World War II veteran, presenting him with medals and naming a day in his honor
It's been more than 75 years since William George Schumacher served in World War II, and for the first time, he's becoming a member of the American Legion.
His membership was presented as a surprise from Post 372 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Tuesday night along with a shadow box filled with several medals of honor, ribbons and patches the Navy and Marine veteran never received after returning home from Okinawa, Japan.
"It happened a lot to many veterans that they just separated from the service and never followed up on anything," said Daniel O'Pella, senior vice commander of American Legion Post 372.
"They did what they had to do, and collecting medals was not important. It was about the service," said daughter Trish Desalvo.
After growing up in Delair, New Jersey, at 17 years old, Schumacher lied about his age to enlist in the Navy and fight for his country. He's now 97 years old, the patriarch of five generations, including an impressive 31 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren, who all call him Pop.
"He's our heart, we call him the beast. He's gone through so much," Desalvo said.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, less than 1% of Americans who served in World War II are still alive.
"We're losing them every day, and I don't think the country can show enough gratitude toward veterans," O'Pella said.
And to further express gratitude to Pop, Camden County Commissioner Melinda Kane had another surprise, officially recognizing Sept. 24 as "William George Schumacher Day."
"Military history sometimes gets lost within the family, and that will always be there stating what exactly that he'd done and been honored for," Kane said.
He's a quiet man, so CBS Philadelphia was lucky that Pop gave us a few words to describe how he felt.
"I feel old, I've got a great family," Schumacher said.
