Veterans

WASHINGTON, DC — On September 10, U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (PA-08) introduced legislation to authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to Retired Colonel Robert J. Graham of Nuangola, PA, for extraordinary acts of valor during the Vietnam War.

Sgt. Joseph J. Drake, a local centenarian and one of only five surviving World War II Army Rangers, recently received the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. He was honored for his service by state, county and local dignitaries on July 21 at the Wayne County Courthouse.

As an Army Ranger during World War II, Sgt. Joseph Drake helped liberate Buchenwald, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps in Germany.

During the Battle of the Bulge, the lifelong Wayne County resident was part of a six-man mission to capture a Nazi soldier for interrogation.

Almost 80 years after the end of World War II, Drake received the Congressional Gold Medal on June 26. It’s the highest honor given by Congress.

A U.S. Senate committee will review a bill that a local congressman hopes will eventually make it easier for veterans to apply for benefits.

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Luzerne, introduced the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act in February, about a month after beginning his first term in Congress. The House overwhelmingly approved it two weeks ago.