FORT WORTH -- It's been five years since Sergeant Louis Read passed away.
“He’s my hero, and for other people to recognize him as a hero as well is emotional," his granddaughter, Kathryn Cochran said Saturday.
He was a decorated World War II veteran and a prisoner of war, awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, among other honors, for his service.
"From the Bataan Death March, being bayoneted, being shot, contracting malaria twice," Texas Senator John Cornyn recounted. "It’s like it wasn’t time for him to go yet."
But those cherished memories of his sacrifice were taken from his family in a robbery earlier this year.
“The medals, and his uniforms that were taken mean the world to us because he was my father," his daughter, Phyllis Wood, said.
Now his family is getting them back, along with one last chance to celebrate Sgt. Read's bravery.
“To know that people still want to talk about him and want to remember him is a very happy thing for us," Cochran said.
Sen. Cornyn, himself the son of a WWII vet and POW, was on hand for the ceremony.
“I can identify a little bit with Sgt. Read’s story," Sen. Cornyn said. "It’s almost like people like him and my dad had nine lives."
