76-year-old local U.S. Marine Corps Veteran received medals of honor after waiting 56 years

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A Brunswick U.S. Marine Corps Veteran waited 56 years to receive his medals of honor after being shot three times during a tour in Vietnam. He told Action News Jax he could have died, and the only thing he wanted was a proper ceremony to receive the medals he earned.

“Somebody tried to tell me they don’t believe in God; you better believe because I’m a living witness,” U.S. Marine Corps veteran Percy Pennington said.

76-year-old Pennington served in the Marine Corps as a sergeant for only a year and a half. He said that short tour of duty changed his life.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Pennington told us that in November of 1968, while reading his bible, he was shot by a sniper. One of the bullets, he said, went through his elbow.

”The bullet and the elbow come flying out,” Pennington said.

Pennington went to the hospital, where he endured nine surgeries for two and a half years after being shot in his arms.

”I never got any chest wound, and the bible didn’t have a bullet hole. The doctor said this is a miracle,” Pennington said.

After recovering from his gun wounds, Pennington was expecting a ceremony to display his medals to honor his service, but he said that never happened.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

“They were supposed to do it while I was in the hospital. (Nicholas - Why didn’t they?) Because nobody never came around.”

He said U.S. Department of Defense Officials thought they already mailed his medals to him. Pennington said the department realized the mistake after he sent a letter with the presidential citation. It took 56 years, but he was finally given his awards earlier this year.

The Vietnam Service Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, and a Purple Heart Medal were all finally in his possession. But he did something with the medals at first after waiting all those years.

”I threw them away because it meant nothing. It came with no instructions or papers,” he said.

He actually gave them away to his grandkids. But he eventually took them back.

Now he keeps them close to share his story of the hardships he went through while suffering his country. He said his next mission is to finally have the ceremony that he never got 56 years ago.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.