The passage of 69 years has taken its toll on how Master Sgt. Charles Joyner is remembered by generations of his family. There are a few black-and-white pictures of the big, burly Army Air Corps mechanic who served his wife breakfast in bed. That's one anecdote, though far less is known of his death.
After sifting though government telegrams, details of his final days after surviving the Bataan Death March come into slightly sharper focus, but if many cherished memories have faded, Joyner grew larger than life Friday.
Surrounded by her family, his daughter Elaine Wachtendorf, 92, of San Antonio accepted a Purple Heart from Sen. John Cornyn for her long-lost father. It was as much a gift to her as a token of respect for his last sacrifice.
“I think it's wonderful,” she said after the ceremony, cradling a Purple Heart certificate signed by Army Secretary John McHugh.
“A long time in coming, but it's wonderful.”
“Mother's been mentioning it for several years, and so I thought it's so hard to make someone really, really happy when they're 92 years old and they don't have much to look forward to in life.”
Comments