Mundelein resident Edward Bedno hasn’t spent much of his life wondering whether he would ever receive a Bronze Star in recognition for his service in World War II as a private first class in the U.S. Army.
The 97-year-old tends to focus his attention on the present and the future, though he has passed on plenty of stories to family about his experiences in the war more than 75 years ago.
Surrounded by family, friends and a few special guests on Wednesday during his decades-in-the-making Bronze Star award ceremony, Bedno sat comfortably and allowed his mind to drift back to the past when he was shot through his left arm during the monthslong Battle of Okinawa in Japan in 1945.
He drew laughs a few minutes after U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, retired U.S. Army Colonel Paul Hettich and Lake County Veterans Assistance Commission President Nicholas Konz presented him the Bronze Star, which Hettich said is reserved for soldiers who demonstrate “meritorious or heroic action in combat.”
“ (It’s) wonderful; a little embarrassing,” Bedno cracked.
In a letter to family shared with the News-Sun, Bedno detailed the day he was shot.
He wrote that he was peaking over a ridge in Okinawa which U.S. soldiers were holding when he heard a “ZING” past his head.
What he realized shortly after was that he’d been shot in his left arm, with the bullet passing clean cleanly through his body. Citing having seen too many John Wayne movies, Bedno “assured everyone that it was just a scratch,” and that he would rejoin his unit soon.
He said he actually came under fire from a Japanese tank before reaching a hospital, and had to make a mad dash for cover before he could be safely treated. Bedno’s sergeant — who he recalled as “tough, friendly, fair and responsible” — and many other soldiers he met while fighting in Okinawa were among more than 14,000 Americans to lose their lives in the nearly three-month-long Battle of Okinawa.
At the ceremony’s conclusion, Bedno’s words were for them.
“I want to thank all of my comrades who didn’t come back,” he said. “There were a lot of them.”
The ceremony might never have been held if it weren’t for Mike Peck, chair of the Illinois Veterans Advisory Council, getting wind that Bedno was living in Mundelein and had never received his Bronze Star.
Peck connected with Underwood’s office, and she and her constituent services team worked with the U.S. Army to inquire about the medal on Bedno’s behalf, as well as to verify his story and arrange for the ceremony along with the Army.
With the group of about 6,000 World War II veterans still living in Illinois dwindling rapidly, Underwood emphasized the importance of recognizing members of “The Greatest Generation” while they are still here.
“This medal is a symbol of Mr. Bedno’s sacrifice, bravery and service to our country,” Underwood told him. “I am so honored to be here today to present this to you, sir.”
Underwood said that while there have been different programs championed to honor veterans who fought in several wars, “Our World War II veterans have had a tremendous legacy of service in our community, but not all of them had received the full recognition that they’ve earned.”
She said she wanted to make sure that people know help is available for those who want to honor veterans, and that her office is “here to help” navigate the red tape that comes with bureaucracy.
She also said Bedno is a “reminder that our freedoms and the lives we live here in America” are not assured without sacrifices.
“As we grapple with so many challenges in our country today, it’s important to recognize that there are so many individuals who sacrificed,” she added. “And it’s up to us to make sure that we are building on the progress, that we’re not going backward and disrespecting their legacy and sacrifice.”
The son of Polish immigrants, Bedno still recalls being a teenager in Chicago and working to manufacture prisms for binoculars as part of a contract with the U.S. War Department before he was deployed to Japan in 1945.
He said he was ready and willing to serve his country back then, and his patriotism hasn’t waned in the many years since.
“I love this country,” Bedno said with a laugh. “They brought the flag out (today), and my heart started racing. It’s just a great country.”
He also still bears the scar, faded over the years, from the surgery for the bullet, which passed straight through his arm.
“Jane will think I’m showing off,” Bedno said, referring to his wife, before pulling up his sleeve.
Residing peacefully in his home in a calm Mundelein subdivision, Bedno’s thoughts do sometimes wander back to the circumstances of that day in Okinawa.
“If the soldier that shot me had moved his rifle 1/100th of an inch to the right, the bullet would have missed me,” his letter reads. “If he had moved it 1/100th of an inch to the left, (I would have been killed). So, what did I learn from all this? Every day is a gift.”
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