U.S. Army and World War II veteran Arthur W. Owens prepares for the start of an awards ceremony Sept. 19, 2013, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. During the event, Owens received the Silver Star, Purple Heart and five other medals for his service during the war and for rescuing fellow crewmen after the groups tank was hit by enemy fire in Germany in 1945. While authorized to receive the medals after the war, Owens was never presented with the decorations due to lost paperwork.