Willy Medinger receives his special medal and certificate honoring him for his service in World War II from York County Veterans Service Officer Nick Wollenburg.
York County Press Release
YORK COUNTY – Wilfred Medinger of Henderson, who will soon be turning 99 years old, was honored this past week by Governor Jim Pillen and York County Veterans Service Officer Nick Wollenburg for his service in World War II.
Wollenburg presented the honor on behalf of the governor, as family members and friends were in attendance. Also attending the presentation was York Mayor Barry Redfern.
Governor Pillen’s initiative to honor living World War II veterans comes as it has been 80 years since World War II ended.
Wollenburg said to Medinger, as he presented him with a special medal and certificate, “On behalf of the State of Nebraska, it is my honor to recognize your service during World War II with this special minted medal. It features our Nebraska Sower on the front and celebrates 80 years of victory since the end of World War II. On the back is Lady Victory and the words, ‘On behalf of a grateful state, thank you for your service.’
“Your actions changed the course of history, saving untold lives and stopping the spread of fascism around the world,” he continued. “As we reach the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, it is more important than ever to celebrate veterans like you and share your story for future generations. Because of your service and sacrifice, we are able to enjoy the Good Life today. We must never forget what we owe our veterans. Thank you for all you have done for our nation, and God bless.”
Medinger entered the service, with the United States Navy, on June 27, 1944. His service included being on different ships under the flag of Admiral Blandy. His duties as a signalman included working in intelligence.
Medinger was surprised to find he is one of maybe only three World War II veterans still alive in York County. He was reminded by his family he will be turning 99 on Feb. 24, but then he reminded everyone in attendance he still remembers so many details of service even though it was so many years ago.
He talked about how it was the fall of 1945 when his ship was in dry dock in the Philippines for repair and in preparation for invading Japan.
“We were going to watch a movie that night – the movie was Casablanca. The movie started at 9 p.m., and then it was interrupted when the radio man said ‘the war is over, Truman is going to use a new bomb on Japan.’ Well, I never saw the rest of that movie that night because we were celebrating and still 80 years later, I still haven’t seen the rest of movie,” Medinger said, chuckling.
“Those days, well, they weren’t just yesterday, yet there are times when you wonder how you got here so many years later,” Medinger said.
“There are feelings of guilt sometimes as to why I’m still here when so many people were lost in the war so many years ago. I know a lot of service people have felt that way.”
“And I often think about standing there, on the ship, on fire watch, in the middle of the night, looking out at the Pacific, without a life jacket, in the dark, with the land so far away, where the only things you could really see were maybe some flying fish,” Medinger said. “And wondering what was going to happen next. And thinking about what my parents were worrying about as I was gone 2 ½ years, if they were worried they’d never see me again. Funny how things like that stick in your mind.”
He explained how, toward the end of the war, as they were in dry dock, “preparing to invade Japan. We were going to be taking soldiers to the islands and dumping them off. It was scary wondering how they would prevail.”
After the war, he was stationed in Hawaii for six months before he was discharged and allowed to go home for good.
Medinger was also credited for his Naval work in Hawaii, as he was on police duty when there was a tsunami warning. “We were out, warning people with jeeps and loudspeakers that the tsunami was coming, but it was April 1, 1946, and some of them thought we were just a bunch of drunken sailors trying to play an April Fool’s joke, at first. We were able to convince many there was no joke at all, then the tsunami came and hopefully we saved some lives letting them know ahead of time. Still, 150 people lost their lives that day, but many more were saved.”
When asked if he was proud of his service to his country, he simply and quickly said, “Yes. I very much am proud of what we did, all of us. There were a lot of us who served, not just me. This medal is very much appreciated.”
