Soldier gets medal — 51 years later
Paul Birkelund stood at attention as Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights) pinned a National Defense Service medal on his chest. The brief ceremony, which took place in Grimm’s Brooklyn district office on Sept. 4, was 51 years in the making.
Birkelund, a 71-year-old Bay Ridge resident, dropped out of Fort Hamilton High School in 1958 to join the Army, serving for three years, mainly in Germany and France. He never received his service medal, an award given to every military member upon leaving the service. Birkelund completed his tour of duty in 1961, during the Cold War.
He left the army and returned to civilian life, not thinking about the medal he was owed by the U.S. government. “We didn’t think about things like that back then. Nobody gave us nothing. We just did our duty. Now, they get parades and everything,” Birkelund said.