Pearl Harbor survivor to be re-issued combat awards during Dec. 7 ceremony

Pearl Harbor survivor to be re-issued combat awards during Dec. 7 ceremony

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. — The 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, will conduct a ceremony, Dec. 7, to re-issue several combat-related military awards to a veteran of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, at the onset of World War II. The ceremony will be at 4 p.m. at the Soldiers Field House on JBLM Lewis-Main.
Staff Sgt. Alfred Eye will be re-issued the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman Badge which he originally received for his actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II. A resident of Toledo, Ohio, Eye was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the day of the attack, and participated in combat operations against the Japanese forces. He subsequently served throughout the Pacific, including the liberation of the Philippines.
The Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman Badge will be re-issued by Lt. Col. Charles Lombardo, the commander of 2-1 Cavalry Squadron.
During Staff Sgt. Eye’s six-year Army career (1940-1946) he was also awarded the American Defense Service Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with four bronze service stars), World War II Victory Medal, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon (with one bronze star).
Staff Sgt. Eye is being re-issued the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman Badge because these three awards had gone missing.
Eye’s great-grandson, Spc. Nathan Glaser, is currently assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He deployed with the 4th Stryker Brigade to Iraq from August 2009-August 2010. Spc. Glaser was instrumental in getting his great-grandfather’s awards replaced.
Staff Sgt. Eye, who is 89 years old and lives in Toledo, and his great-grandson Spc. Glaser, will be available after the ceremony for interviews. Staff Sgt. Eye’s wife and other family will be attending as well.