Centenarian World War II Veteran and Purple Heart recipient recognized

George Washington Whitehead, US Army Veteran, was recognized for his recent 102nd birthday, for his World War II service, and his long commitment to his community, Sept. 29. 

As old friends assembled in the cafeteria of the nursing home where he resides in Burton, Ohio on a Sunday afternoon, Whitehead sat proudly, and chatted quietly with his Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers, staff, and fellow residents.  

Whitehead was recognized for his World War II service, his more than 80 years of leadership within his college fraternity, and his long commitment to his community. Nearly a dozen Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers assembled to show their support; Whitehead had become a member of the Iota Psi Chapter at Ohio State University in 1942 and is one of their oldest members in the country. 

VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System Executive Director Jill Dietrich Mellon presented Whitehead with a special thank-you letter plaque signed by Denis McDonough, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dietrich Mellon also presented Whitehead with a special ”challenge coin” on behalf of McDonough.

Whitehead began his military service Nov. 11, 1942, amidst the ongoing Russian siege of Stalingrad, and served for a time in Italy with the famed 92nd Infantry Division, the “Buffalo Soldiers” of the then segregated unit of the Army. He left service Dec. 1, 1945, some three months following the Japanese surrender. Whitehead was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained during the war. 

Damien Horvath, Public Affairs Officer

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