World War II and Korean War veteran and Tennessee native, Thomas Gwynn, celebrated his 104th birthday on Friday, June 2, 2023. Everyone was invited to stop by his house in Tullahoma to wish him a happy birthday. According to tullahomanews.com, Mr. Gwynn was wounded more than 20 times but he never left the battlefield during his highly decorated military career. He joined the military armed forces in 1940 and became an Army Ranger in 1943. He took part in the Normandy Invastion and the Battle of the Bulge. In 1950, Thomas Gwynn joined the fighting in Korea and participated in the Battle of Inchon. His bravery earned him multiple awards, including 12 Purple Hearts, the Silver Star, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Bronze Star, the Combat Badge, the Prisoner of War Medal and the Distinguished Service Cross. He has also earned The Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit for military and civil merits, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. After his military service, Thomas Gwynn raised his family as a handyman and prison minister. In 2021, Gwynn told WZTV that he gives all the credit to God, and points to the bible verse John 15:13—“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Photo submitted to WVLT)
