Presque Isle man receives belated war medals

PRESQUE ISLE – Chester DeMerchant has always been an unassuming man.

When his family and friends held a surprise 60th anniversary party for DeMerchant and his wife, Rose, the couple didn’t think the party was for them – they just wanted to know why everyone had shown up.

Monday night, when DeMerchant was attending a meeting at the local American Legion hall and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud was on hand, he looked around when the post commander announced that Michaud was in town to award a local veteran war medals he had earned but never received.

And when the commander asked a colleague to escort DeMerchant to the front of the room to receive the medals, he sat in his folding chair, stunned and speechless.

“Who, me?” he finally asked.

Thanks to his son, David DeMerchant of Presque Isle, and some legwork by people at Michaud’s local office, DeMerchant, 83, of Presque Isle was presented – on Patriot’s Day, no less – with 13 medals stemming from his service with the U.S. Army between 1942 and 1962.

David DeMerchant said he had seen a newspaper article about another veteran who was presented with medals he had earned but not received. Having heard his father’s war stories many times and remembering the four medals framed on a wall of the family home, he said something clicked.

“It got me thinking, ‘I wonder if Dad got everything he deserved,'” DeMerchant said after the presentation.

He called up Michaud’s office and asked if staffers there would look into the matter. He was shocked to find out that his father had earned not one or two but 13 medals that he had not received.

So, like any good son, he decided to surprise his father with the news.

The elder DeMerchant stood quietly beside Michaud during the presentation, glancing at the framed medals with what looked like a tear in his eye.

Michaud told the crowd of about 60 in the Legion hall that such a presentation “really makes this job worthwhile.”

The medals DeMerchant was presented with are: the Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal (third award), Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Commendation with three bronze oak leaf clusters, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze service stars with arrowhead, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal with Germany clasp, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with one silver service star, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one bronze service star, United Nations Service Medal, Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII, and Expert Badge with carbine bar and rifle bar.

“He was totally surprised,” David DeMerchant said, speaking on behalf of his father. “He really didn’t know what to say. It brought back a lot of memories, both good and bad. He said he was grateful that people did this for him and that if it wasn’t for his comrades, he wouldn’t have been here to receive the medals. It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get those.”