Serving Lakewood, Wheat Ridge and beyond
WEEK OF AUGUST 24, 2023
VOLUME 40 | ISSUE 3
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WWII veteran honored posthumously in Lakewood ceremony BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY DGRIGSBY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A World War II veteran who lost his life in Normandy, France as his unit battled their way across Omaha Beach toward Germany has been posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal at a private ceremony in Lakewood, Colorado. Long-time Lakewood resident John Simon Cardenas never met his father in person. However, along with his own son Scott and daughter Cris, he accepted the Purple Heart and three additional military awards on behalf of his late father, thanks to the efforts of U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen who helped secure the documentation and longoverdue military decorations. Pfc. Simon Cardenas was a Mexican American soldier who grew SEE PURPLE HEART, P2
U.S. Army Capt. Rob Churchill, Operations Officer for the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division (left) presents long-time Lakewood resident John Simon Cardenas (right) with the Purple Heart medal as U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (center) looks on. Pettersen’s office helped secure the posthumous awards for Cardenas’s PHOTO BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY father, Pfc. Simon Cardenas, who was killed in action in Normandy during World War II.
VOICES: 14 | LIFE: 16 | CALENDAR: 19 | SPORTS: 22
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