MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (SNN TV) – Decades after World War II, 104-year-old veteran John Skeen still remembers the voices and names of his men.
“On occasion I hear a voice and I can place that voice,” said Skeen. “I know exactly what person that was [and] what soldier that was. I still remember. I haven’t forgotten. I can’t forget.”
John Skeen fought in major European campaigns ranging from Belgium to Luxembourg to Germany and France. Despite his accolades, he still can’t comprehend people’s reactions to his service.
“I’m just an ex-West Virginia hillbilly,” Skeen joked.
Skeen was drafted into the U.S. Army January 1941 and was the platoon leader in the 70th Infantry during the second World War. He received a battlefield commission twice to go with another regiment.
“I wouldn’t take it. My love for my men was top priority,” he said.Fast forward to 2023 and his soon-to-be 105th birthday on October 3 will mean even more.
“Be it proclaimed by the Board of County Commissioners of Manatee County, Florida, that October 3, 2023, shall be known, designated, and set aside as John Skeen Day!” said Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn.
It was an honor for his service, an honor he was grateful to receive, but an honor that came with mixed emotions. Before leaving the chambers, he thanked the commissioners but said he didn’t deserve it.
“The ones who deserve it aren’t here,” Skeen told SNN. “I saw men who showed bravery beyond imagination down on the squad levels and platoon levels which never got recognition. So my heart just aches when I think of all the plaudits I get, and they receive none.”
Skeen received a purple heart for wounds he received in France and a Bronze Star for taking out a German machine gun bunker despite being wounded.
