Bloxham receives Bronze Star 63 years after service
By Dan Dockstader on Sep 25, 2008 in Featured, News, Star Valley Ranch
In 1945 at the age of 18, Vern Bloxham earned a Bronze Star, but it wasn’t until 2008 that he was formally honored with and received the medal.
As a young Army Corporal, Bloxham was accompanying his unit and moving up a draw on an island in the South Pacific when the group came under fire from Japanese soldiers in a pillbox. The term is used for a bunker that houses a machine gun and soldiers.
When the Japanese soldiers saw Bloxham and others moving up the draw they threw out hand grenades as part of the attack. While others were wounded or killed, Bloxham was able to return fire with his Browning automatic rifle and killed the soldiers in the pillbox, saving his company from further attack.
In April of this year, Bloxham received word that he would be awarded the Bronze Star for that service six decades earlier.
The star is a specific military decoration awarded for bravery and meritorious service.
The honor would have come years earlier, but Bloxham’s military records and others were destroyed in a fire.
In July a package arrived at the Bloxham address. Not knowing what was in the package, Bloxham told his wife Dolores not to open it and they would “send it back.” He was cornered that it may be a pen and pencil set. “I didn’t want another one,” he joked. “I got stuck with one once.”
He recalled, “When we got back to the post office I said, ‘maybe we better look at it.’ ”
When they opened it they found the bronze Star. “I said, ‘we’re not sending that back.’ ”
The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars honored Bloxham for his service and formally presented the medal in a special program in Thayne earlier in September.
Chuck Sutter, VFW Commander, along with Stephan Rennells, American Legion State Commander, made the presentation to Bloxham before friends and family at the Thayne Senior Center.
“I was highly honored to do this,” Sutter said. “It was a about time he got this after 63 years. “I knew the combat he had served in. He saved the remainder of his unit by wiping out the pillbox and consequently he is a real patriotic hero.”
Bloxham’s service on the front line didn’t end without injury. Later he received a serious wound to his arm that resulted in several surgeries.
Evan after the many years since he served, Bloxham found it difficult to talk about when he was wounded when speaking to the gathering in Thayne.
“I knew I was hit bad,” he remembered. “It felt like someone had hit me with a great big sledge hammer.” Blood filled the young soldier’s field blouse and the same blood stains remain on his dog tags to this day.
Bloxham was moved off the front line by jeep and plane. He went through 26 months of hospitals and surgical procedures in Okinawa, Guam, Hawaii and California.
Bloxham has never let the experience or limitations from his wounded arm stop him from a successful career that has included ownership of an oil distribution company and life insurance agency.
The Bloxhams live in Downey, ID and Star Valley Ranch. He is a past mayor of Downey and manager of the ranch.
http://www.starvalleyindependent.co...-bronze-star-63-years-after-service/#more-856
By Dan Dockstader on Sep 25, 2008 in Featured, News, Star Valley Ranch
In 1945 at the age of 18, Vern Bloxham earned a Bronze Star, but it wasn’t until 2008 that he was formally honored with and received the medal.
As a young Army Corporal, Bloxham was accompanying his unit and moving up a draw on an island in the South Pacific when the group came under fire from Japanese soldiers in a pillbox. The term is used for a bunker that houses a machine gun and soldiers.
When the Japanese soldiers saw Bloxham and others moving up the draw they threw out hand grenades as part of the attack. While others were wounded or killed, Bloxham was able to return fire with his Browning automatic rifle and killed the soldiers in the pillbox, saving his company from further attack.
In April of this year, Bloxham received word that he would be awarded the Bronze Star for that service six decades earlier.
The star is a specific military decoration awarded for bravery and meritorious service.
The honor would have come years earlier, but Bloxham’s military records and others were destroyed in a fire.
In July a package arrived at the Bloxham address. Not knowing what was in the package, Bloxham told his wife Dolores not to open it and they would “send it back.” He was cornered that it may be a pen and pencil set. “I didn’t want another one,” he joked. “I got stuck with one once.”
He recalled, “When we got back to the post office I said, ‘maybe we better look at it.’ ”
When they opened it they found the bronze Star. “I said, ‘we’re not sending that back.’ ”
The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars honored Bloxham for his service and formally presented the medal in a special program in Thayne earlier in September.
Chuck Sutter, VFW Commander, along with Stephan Rennells, American Legion State Commander, made the presentation to Bloxham before friends and family at the Thayne Senior Center.
“I was highly honored to do this,” Sutter said. “It was a about time he got this after 63 years. “I knew the combat he had served in. He saved the remainder of his unit by wiping out the pillbox and consequently he is a real patriotic hero.”
Bloxham’s service on the front line didn’t end without injury. Later he received a serious wound to his arm that resulted in several surgeries.
Evan after the many years since he served, Bloxham found it difficult to talk about when he was wounded when speaking to the gathering in Thayne.
“I knew I was hit bad,” he remembered. “It felt like someone had hit me with a great big sledge hammer.” Blood filled the young soldier’s field blouse and the same blood stains remain on his dog tags to this day.
Bloxham was moved off the front line by jeep and plane. He went through 26 months of hospitals and surgical procedures in Okinawa, Guam, Hawaii and California.
Bloxham has never let the experience or limitations from his wounded arm stop him from a successful career that has included ownership of an oil distribution company and life insurance agency.
The Bloxhams live in Downey, ID and Star Valley Ranch. He is a past mayor of Downey and manager of the ranch.
http://www.starvalleyindependent.co...-bronze-star-63-years-after-service/#more-856