Man who died in World War II receives Bronze Star 71 years later

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis soldier killed in action during World War II finally got his Bronze Star medal, thanks to the perseverance of the daughter he never knew.

Technical Sgt. Walter Wojcik was killed in action July 7, 1944, in Normandy, France. His military personnel file was destroyed in a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, but his daughter, Patricia Spier, was able to obtain documentation confirming in addition to the Purple Heart her father earned, he was due a Bronze Star medal, too.

Spier was born two months after her father died.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, awarded the medal to Spier during a ceremony Monday at the Soldier's Memorial in St. Louis.

"I hope today is one of those days that you feel close to the father you never got to know," McCaskill told Spier, 70, saying it was important future generations "know what kind of hero your father was."

Spier called it a "very special occasion."

"It means a lot to me," she said.

The Bronze Star is awarded to members of the Armed Forces for heroic or meritorious achievement or service in a combat zone.

Wojcik, a member of the 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division, was part of a unit seeking to secure the French town of La Haye du Puits. The town was secured July 8, 1944, the day after he died.

Wojcik's records were kept at the massive personnel records center in St. Louis, where a fire broke out just after midnight July 12, 1973. About 18 million military personnel files were destroyed, including 80 percent of the files of Army personnel discharged between Nov. 1, 1912, and Jan. 1, 1960, and 75 percent of Air Force personnel discharged from Sept. 25, 1947, to Jan. 1, 1964, according to the National Archives.

McCaskill said many soldiers due various medals and honors were denied because of the fire. She urged anyone believing they or a loved one is due a medal to contact her office. A spokesman for McCaskill said at least six medals have been awarded posthumously since 2013 after people reached out to the senator.