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Korean War veterans honor widow
Mary Ann Gardenhire honors her late husband by accepting an honorary membership into the Korean War Veterans Association. Shown are (l-) Walter Koopman, Gardenhire and KWVA President Jack McGinley. SUBMITTED PHOTO
November 21, 2016
During Veterans Day ceremonies at the Milton CHEER Center Nov. 11, the local chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association bestowed an honorary membership on the widow of a Korean War prisoner of war. Mary Ann Gardenhire of Milton, wife of the late Junior Isaiah Gardenhire, told the gathering that her husband weighed 85 pounds when he walked across Freedom Bridge in 1951 during Operation Big Switch. He was immediately flown to Walter Reed Military Hospital near Washington, D.C., to recuperate. Gardenhire passed away five years ago.
