Four Kentucky World War II veterans were honored last week in Frankfort. Governor Andy Beshear presented “Kentucky Colonel” plaques during a brief ceremony at the capitol.
Afterward, when asked about his thoughts regarding the honor, Staff Sergeant Henry Breithaupe said he leads a simple life. “It’s something unusual to me. I’m a little old country boy. You know what a hermit is? Well, that’s me. I go to church on Sundays and go home and that’s it. When it comes summer time, I take care of my little place,” said Breithaupe.
The 92 year old Breithaupe served in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam. Also recognized were Jim Ethridge, who was 15 when he joined the Army and served from 1946 to 1952, Corporal Elwood Richardson, who spent 21 months overseas in the Asian Pacific Theater of Operations. He assisted Bataan Death March prisoners of war in the Phillipines prepare to return home. “After the war was over, we went into all those prisoner of war camps, brought them out, patched them up, made them feel good. My job was to feed them with cigarettes. They wanted cigarettes. They were so hungry, they’d eat the meal and then go through the garbage cans,” explained Richardson.
The fourth honoree Corporal Howard Bentley, who was not able to attend, is listed as one of the state’s most decorated soldiers during World War II.
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