Warrant Officer Skip Griffin, left, with World War II veteran Henry Hardie Cornett, right, show the four medals Cornett was given Saturday night in West Point. (Christy Perry for The Cullman Tribune)
WEST POINT, Ala. – Henry Hardie Cornett was surprised by family and friends Saturday evening when he was presented with four military medals 73 years after completing his service with the U.S. Army Air Corp in World War II. Cornett served as a tail gunner on a B-24 in several battles and campaigns in the Pacific. He was given the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal and WWII Victory Medal Thursday night at the Brandin Iron in West Point. Cornett’s squadron, the 42nd Bomb SQ 11th Bomb Group, is credited with inflicting a direct hit that was significant in the sinking of the powerful Japanese battleship, The Yamato.
Look for a full-length feature on Cornett this week.
