March 29, 2024
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Hodgdon veteran gets war medals 62 years late

HODGDON – When Forrest “Frosty” Quint left the battlefields of World War II behind in 1945, he slipped back into the civilian life he had left behind when he entered the U.S. Army as a soldier two years earlier.

Although he returned home, something else got left behind – the medals he had won for his courage, bravery, exemplary behavior and fidelity while in active duty.

On Friday, they finally caught up to him.

During a veterans breakfast sponsored by students in the Hodgdon High School Jobs for Maine’s Graduates program, Quint, 83, was presented with the five awards that he never received after he left the war some 62 years ago.

The awards – a Good Conduct Medal, a European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the French Fourragere, the World War II Victory Medal and the Army of Occupation Medal – were delivered by a representative from U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud’s office.

The accolades were received by a teary-eyed Quint as a crowd of family members, friends, fellow veterans and community members cheered at the Hodgdon High gathering.

“Since the beginning of our nation’s history, our veterans have answered the call of duty with dignity, with courage and with great honor,” Michaud wrote in a prepared statement. “These brave men and women have never flinched in the face of danger. Forrest Quint is no exception.”

As an 18-year-old, Quint left his hometown of Hodgdon to enter the Army, missing his high school graduation. He was part of the Army’s 121st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron.

During the course of his service, Quint participated in four of the major battles of World War II, including the Northern France Campaign, the Rhineland Campaign, the Central Europe Campaign and the Normandy Campaign.

On May 6, 1945, in Germany, he was a member of the unit that rescued King Leopold of Belgium. The action earned Quint and the other members of his unit the French Fourragere, an award that distinguishes military units as a whole.

After the war ended, Quint returned to his life in Hodgdon, never receiving the medals he earned for his years of service.

That was until Quint’s friend and fellow veteran, Almon “Tiny” Hemore, contacted Michaud’s office regarding the matter. Hemore was instrumental in getting Quint’s medals delivered to him and was on hand to see him receive them Friday.

“We were talking one day at an event and he [Quint] said to me, ‘I won some medals in the war but I never got them,'” Hemore recalled. “I told him that I would help him and I started the paperwork and took it to Michaud’s office.”

Rep. Richard Cleary, who represents the District 8 towns of Amity, Hodgdon, Houlton, Orient and Cary Plantation, commended Quint for his World War II service.

Telling the crowd that he had known Quint for some time, Cleary added that Quint had “fought bravely and well” for his country, describing him as a “man of good character who had shown courage under fire.”

“I’m pleased your country has finally recognized that,” he said, but added that those who know Quint realized what a fine individual he was long before the medals were delivered.

Sen. Roger Sherman, R-Houlton, also spoke at the breakfast, praising Quint for his service to the nation.

Upon accepting the medals, an emotional Quint choked back sobs as he expressed his thanks.

“I’ve waited a long time for these,” he said. “Thank you for getting them to me after all these years.”


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