A Kentucky World War II veteran who was wounded while fighting Nazi Germany has at last been presented with one of the U.S. military’s most solemn honors, more than eight decades after his injury.
For 81 years, Glenn Fisher lived without the Purple Heart he long believed he had earned in combat. On Wednesday, the 99-year-old Army veteran finally received the medal.
“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 is awarded to U.S. service members who are wounded or killed as a result of enemy action. For Fisher, the recognition arrives just months before his 100th birthday and after years of efforts to have his wartime injuries officially acknowledged.
World War II veteran Glenn Fisher reacts after receiving the Purple Heart more than 80 years after he was wounded in combat. (WDRB)
WHAS11 first shared Fisher’s story in March, as he continued pushing to receive the award before reaching the century mark.
According to earlier reporting from WHAS11, Fisher joined the Army in 1943 at age 16 after getting permission from his parents. He later came ashore at Utah Beach in France and was injured on March 25, 1945, while his unit was waiting to cross the Rhine River when German artillery hit their position.
Fisher has said his injuries were not properly recorded during the war, a paperwork gap he believes kept him from receiving the Purple Heart for decades.
“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.
Glenn Fisher poses in his Army uniform during World War II. Fisher was awarded the Purple Heart in 2026 after decades of seeking recognition for wounds he sustained in combat. (WDRB)
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.
A file photo shows an example of the Purple Heart medal, which Fisher received more than 80 years after being wounded in combat. (AFP via Getty Images)
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.
“It’s really true,” he said.
News Agency has reached out to the U.S. Army for additional information about Fisher’s Purple Heart but did not immediately receive a response.
