MANCHESTER--- About 150 Hartford area veterans were honored on Wednesday afternoon with wartime service medals.
The veterans received the Connecticut Veterans Wartime Service Medal at the Army & Navy Club in Manchester. The medal was given to vets from the towns of Manchester, Glastonbury, Andover and Bolton.
Those honored served as far back as World War II, and as recently as Iraq War.
Louis Gamer, of Glastonbury, received his wartime service medal alongside his pal and fellow service-mate David Moore of Glastonbury. Moore and Gamer signed up for the Navy on the same day in 1947 after graduating high school.
"This over 60 years ago now, but still these people remember," Gamer said.
State Sen. Steve Cassano organized the event after realizing there was a lack of awareness for the medal, which was established in 2005 by the legislature.
"It's been overdue, it's a tribute to those who served, we've forgotten too much," Cassano said.
Prior to 2005, Connecticut had not honored its veterans with a wartime service medal since World War I.
"It's been a long time, and I didn't expect anything now," said Daniel Kibble, a Manchester resident and Korean War veteran.
