A World War II veteran who has tried for two years to correct a record that claims he went AWOL during the Pacific campaign.
Thomas Smith, Jr., who is 90, said he was being treated for a back wound at the time he was allegedly AWOL, and the records have confused him with another soldier with a similar name.
Smith was drafted on Nov. 28, 1942. He has two Purple Hearts and was wounded in the arm, leg and back.
He discovered that he was listed as having gone AWOL for a month when he requested his military records in 2006 in preparation for writing a memoir. He was shocked to discover a document containing the allegation.
“I am an old man,” Smith said. “If nothing changes before I die, I would be disappointed.”