--- title: "107-year-old WWII veteran finally receives Silver Star 77 years after his discharge" description: "Harold Nelson, who fought for two years in World War II, received the award this week at Fort Carson, Colorado" date: "2022-10-07" modified: "2022-10-07" authors: - name: "Max Hauptman" job_title: "Breaking News Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/max-hauptman/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/ww2-veteran-silver-star/" categories: - "News" --- # 107-year-old WWII veteran finally receives Silver Star 77 years after his discharge ![]() *Maj. Gen. Charles Costanza, the 3rd Infantry Division commanding general, pins U.S Army Veteran Staff Sgt. Harold Nelson, an infantryman and Dogface Soldier, the Silver Star Medal during an award ceremony at Fort Carson, Colorado, Oct. 4th, 2022. (Pfc. Bernabe Lopez III/U.S. Army)* A little more than 77 years after he was discharged, a 107-year-old Army veteran in Colorado received the Silver Star he had been recommended for decades ago. Harold A. Nelson, a Denver resident who served as an infantryman in the 3rd Infantry Division during WW II, received the medal [during a ceremony]() at Fort Carson, Colorado on Oct. 4. The current 3rd Infantry Division commander, Maj. Gen. Charles Costanza, made the trip out from Fort Stewart, Georgia, to present Nelson with the award. “Starting his time in combat during WWII, First Sgt. Nelson was shot three times, survived artillery bombardments, grenade explosions, German tank fire, and exploding landmines,” [said]() Costanza. > [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily.** The 3rd Infantry Division was one of the Army’s most decorated units during the war, [serving]() more than 500 days in combat, and Nelson was right there, in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. He was drafted into the Army on July 14, 1941. At 26 years old, Nelson – who very well may be Colorado’s [oldest living]() World War II veteran – was among the oldest new recruits when he was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division’s 7th Infantry Regiment, his daughter Carolee Soden [told]() the Colorado Springs Gazette in February. In November 1942, the division landed in Morocco as part of Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. “Imagine trying to go down the rope cargo net and getting into a boat with waves 10 to 20 feet high. You would try to jump into the boat quickly but maybe the boat went down 10 or 15 feet and back up again, slamming against you and the ship,” Nelson [wrote]() to the Gazette earlier this year. ![]() *Maj. Gen. Charles Costanza, the 3rd Infantry Division commanding general, and U.S. Army Veteran Staff Sgt. Harold Nelson, an infantryman and Dogface Soldier, salute as the national anthem plays during Nelson's Silver Star Medal ceremony at Fort Carson, Colorado, Oct. 4th, 2022. (Pfc. Bernabe Lopez III/U.S. Army)* The 3rd Infantry Division soon captured the city of Casablanca, then participated in the invasion of Sicily, the invasion of mainland Italy, and later, Operation Shingle, the amphibious landings at Anzio. Nelson [described]() at one point running out of ammunition before climbing atop an abandoned German tank to use its machine gun while in Italy. Despite a grenade explosion tearing off his pack, Nelson continued to return fire. By June 1944 the division was in Rome preparing for the invasion of southern France, when Nelson, who had already received two Purple Hearts, learned he would be furloughed back to the U.S. When he returned to the U.S. he also learned he had been recommended for the Silver Star, as his commander had written a letter to Nelson’s mother saying as such. He never received the award before being discharged in 1945, though. A 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center storage facility destroyed most of his wartime records, reducing the amount of documentation Nelson could provide as evidence for the award’s recommendation, though. Nelson [petitioned]() the Army Board for Corrections of Military Records in 2019 and with that old letter from his commander, along with his own detailed account of his service record, Nelson was approved for the award on June 22, 2022. “I appreciate what they have done. It’s a wonderful thing,” [said]() Nelson. “I guess it means I did what I was supposed to do.” ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **These are the** **worst pieces of military gear** **ever issued, according to veterans** - **The Marine Corps’ new littoral combat team is** [**changing the Marine rifle squad**]() - **How Air Force maintainers achieved a rare** [**perfect inspection**]() **on a 49-year-old aircraft** - **Why** [**hundreds of Camp Pendleton Marines**]() **have been stuck in sweltering hot barracks for years** - **The Air Force has** [**finally rescued a stranded Osprey**]() **aircraft from a remote Norwegian island** **Want to write for Task & Purpose?**[ **Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on**[ **our homepage.**]() ## Author Max Hauptman is a former breaking news reporter at Task & Purpose. He previously worked at The Washington Post as a Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow, as well as covering local news in New England. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Instagram]()