It took more than 65 years for Edsel Smith to receive a Purple Heart for a gunshot wound suffered in the Korean War, and he blames the delay on bacon and eggs.
At some point during a firefight with Chinese soldiers in the Chosin Reservoir in the winter of 1950 -- Smith of Bryant isn't sure exactly when -- a bullet pierced his left leg. The former Marine noticed the wound after the blood froze against his skin during the frigid night.
A field medic treated him and recommended he receive the Purple Heart, which honors military personnel wounded or killed in combat. Smith, who also served in the Pacific at the end of World War II, returned to headquarters in Pusan several days later where he was told to go to sick call. Smith, however, never went. The familiar aroma of bacon and eggs emanating from the mess hall demanded his attention.
There was also a slightly more noble reason.
"There were boys there that were a lot worse off than me," Smith said.
U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, awarded Smith the long overdue medal at the state Capitol on Tuesday. In an emotional ceremony attended by scores of family members and fellow retired Marines, Smith often wiped tears from his face.
Emotion overtook many in the old Arkansas Supreme Court Chamber as Marine 1st Sgt. Michael Hatlen presented the award to the 91-year-old. Even Hatlen's lips quivered as he fought a wave of emotion with Smith breaking down in front of him.
Smith, an avid fisherman and Razorbacks fan, recounted his years overseas after the ceremony. At times he paused in the middle of a thought, as if the memories were too painful to speak.
"It's getting hard," he said. "I cry. I cry. I tell you what."
The ceremony was a joyous occasion, though, and the still able-bodied veteran didn't miss a chance to crack a joke. He entertained the scrum of media members, pausing only to hug his great-grandchildren goodbye and slip each of them several dollars.
His wife of 67 years, Wanda, whom he met at a Marine Corps Ball in Little Rock in 1949, watched her husband with a huge smile.
"We're so blessed," she said. "He's a special person, the love of my life."
There are still some war stories Wanda Smith still hasn't heard after all those years. They're either too painful or her husband too humble.
Hill said many times ceremonies like Tuesday's give veterans an avenue to open up to their families more.
"He never made this honor a priority," Hill said. "But I think as he's gotten older he realized this would be a great way to talk to his kids, grandkids and now great-grandkids about his service. It's long overdue."
Born in Foreman, Smith joined the Marines on his 18th birthday. His first deployment at the close of World War II was to Midway Island. He was honorably discharged in 1946, but he stayed in the Marine Corps Reserve.
Smith, who later worked as an engineer for several Little Rock TV stations, was activated in 1949 and deployed to Korea the next year. He contributed to several missions, but none more memorable than the campaign to take the Chosin Reservoir in current day North Korea during the winter of 1950.
The Army was to take the reservoir from one side while the Marines advanced up the other. Enemy forces quickly overtook the Army, allowing them to surround Smith and his fellow Marines.
After several days of fierce firefights, an airstrike allowed the Marines to withdraw from the area.
Authorities estimate that there were more than 17,800 Americans injured or killed by the enemy or the cold.
Smith was among those, but no one knew it.
"If I'd have been here at home, I'd have probably cried about it," Smith said of his bullet wound. "But not over there."
Metro on 05/04/2016