GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — The family of Cpl. George Hunter Wills accepted the Purple Heart Medal after his daughter held on to decades-old records and documents that would later prove his eligibility for the award.
“I turned around, and this is not what I expected,” said Wills' daughter Verla Thomas. "It was wonderful and people came up and introduced themselves and told me who they represented, and I thought, 'How marvelous.' Everybody that does that should be honored at least by their family.”
93-year-old Thomas was overcome with emotion Friday as she received a posthumous Purple Heart medal and WWI Victory medal for her father’s service.
With the help of a local historian and the office of Representative Hillary Scholten’s Grand Rapids office, Wills’ records and documents were submitted to the United States Army for approval and processing.
Scholten got emotional while speaking at the podium and thanking Wills’ family for his service.
“Thank you to your father for his service to our great nation. He is a hero,” Scholten said.
Director of Michigan Veteran Affairs Brian L. Love said he was happy to witness Thomas and her family receive Wills’ award and honor.
“It's like watching another family member be recognized,” Love said. "I’ve never met the Wills family, but I feel like I’ve known them for 20 or 50 years already. That's what the legacy of being a veteran is.”
Thomas said she was honored to see people from the military at the ceremony honoring her father’s service and legacy.
“All the military people that were here, they know what it was like to have served and it was like honoring them too, even though, you know, they didn't know my father,” Thomas said. "They still came to honor the service that he gave.”
Scholten said her team looks forward to helping more families who may also be eligible to receive an award for their family member’s service.
“It's such an honor to get to serve in this capacity and look forward to helping anyone back at home who might have a similar issue,” Scholten said. We want to make sure that all of our veterans in West Michigan are honored in the way that they deserve.”
For anyone interested in finding out if a veteran in their family is eligible for a service award, you can contact Scholten’s district office.
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