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Receives Medal

Edward Leavitt, center, received his replacement Silver Star. Congressman Joe Courtney, left. Veterans Affairs Cmsr. Sean Connolly, right.

 

DANIELSON — In 1952 Army infantryman Cpl. Edward Leavitt earned a Silver Star, the nation’s third highest military honor, for bravery and heroism in combat in Korea. Leavitt’s medals were lost in a house fire years later.The Veterans Coffeehouse hosted a ceremony on May 30 during which Rep. Joe Courtney presented Leavitt with a replacement Silver Star.

Now 88, Leavitt, of Putnam, also received the Korean Ambassador’s Medal for Peace, which Courtney asked Leavitt’s great-granddaughter, Charlie Morency of Killingly, to present, as well as the Connecticut Wartime Service Medal awarded by Veterans Afffairs Cmsr. Sean Connolly.

More than a year ago, Vietnam veteran Garry Brown of Pomfret, a key volunteer at the Veterans Coffeehouse, began tracking down the documentation needed for Leavitt’s honors. Leavitt previously also earned a Purple Heart for his actions, and Courtney said, “It’s a special level that speaks to Ed’s heroism.”

Leavitt was honored by a Coffeehouse full of fellow veterans, including five others who also served in Korea, plus dozens of family members and friends.