Almost sixty-seven years after being wounded, former 1st Lt. Edward J. Moppert Jr., was presented with his Purple Heart medal on 26 November 2011 in ceremonies at the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Moppert, now ninety, served as a bombardier on a B-24 Liberator during a raid over an oil refinery in Germany. After parachuting from the heavily damaged aircraft, he was shot in the foot as he neared the ground. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war for almost seven months at Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany. The medal was presented by retired Maj. Gen. Robert M. Worley II, the former US Air Force deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs.
