UC Berkeley News Brief
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Navy Capt. Dave Buckey pins a long- delayed Purple Heart medal on the lapel of retired Air Force Lt. Col. Abraham Hankin on Saturday at a Barrows Hall ROTC commissioning ceremony. (Erin Garcia photo) |
60 years later, Purple Heart honors veteran
BERKELEY – Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Abraham Hankin, a UC Berkeley graduate and 86-year-old survivor of the Bataan Death March, finally received his Purple Heart on Saturday — 60 years late.
Capt. Dave Buckey, a Navy ROTC commander, presented the medal to Hankin Saturday at a commissioning ceremony on campus for cadets graduating from UC Berkeley's ROTC program. Hankin also received the Prisoner of War Medal for the hardships he faced in six POW camps from 1942-45.
Hankin, who is suffering from lung cancer, said he always knew he was eligible for the Purple Heart, but never got around to requesting it. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from UC Berkeley in 1941, and returned to campus after the war to earn a master's degree in business and public administration in 1949. He was also a member of the Cal Marching Band.