It Was Kennedy!

My father always said that his grandmother had a letter hanging in her home from the President commending my  father's grandfather for his WWI service.  He was also always sure that the President in question was Kennedy.

Wilson was President when my great-grandfather was discharged from the military.  Truman was President when my great-grandfather died.  But Kennedy?  It didn't make sense to me, until I realized what the letter was:

A Presidential Memorial Certificate (click to see a picture).

According to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs it "...was initiated in March 1962 by President John F. Kennedy and has been continued by all subsequent Presidents."

Mystery solved, it was Kennedy!  Now I have to wonder what happened to the letter and if anyone in the family had to apply for it (like you do now).

I do plan on pursing certificates for some of my ancestors (including a possible replacement for my great-grandfather's).  At the very least I would like to have one for my grandfather who was career Army and a veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

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