By Louie Graves
News-Leader staff
Looking for her late father’s military records led his daughter, Cleo Chesshir, to the realization that she had no idea of his military awards.
Her father, Glen A. McCorkle, was a Mineral Springs boy who served in the U.S. Army in Korea and two deployments in Vietnam. In addition, he served in atomic bomb testing in the Marshall Islands and in the Nevada desert.
He served from enlistment in July of 1949 and retired in November 1970. First Sgt. McCorkle died in November of 1990.
When Cleo Chesshir, who works in the Howard County treasurer’s office in the courthouse, mentioned the missing awards to cHoward County Veterans Service Officer Milton Puryear, who also works at the courthouse, he made inquires.
Puryear was able to present Chesshir and her brother, Grady McCorkle with the medals earned by their dad, and one, the prestigious Bronze Star, was a surprise.
The other awards included Senior Aircraft Crewman Badge, Good Conduct Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation (Vietnam), Korea Service Medal and Vietnam Service Medal.
Cleo Chesshir, her son, Heath, and brother, Grady McCorkle, received the medals from Puryear last Wednesday at the courthouse.
She hopes that she is able to acquire patches from units in which her father served.
