DENVER — In years past, it wasn't uncommon for veterans to leave the service without the awards they earned - medals, ribbons and badges signifying tenure or heroic efforts. A local group of volunteers finds those vets and decorates them.
They're called the Forgotten Heroes Campaign and locally they have honored more than 1,000 vets with medals and ribbons earned but never received.
"God first, family second and then veterans," said Barry Fiore, the director of public relations for the Forgotten Heroes Campaign.
The group says missing awards happened for a number of reasons, like rapid demobilization or poor record keeping. Other veterans were evacuated from war zones due to injuries. In those cases, their records were never forwarded while they were recovering or when they returned home. The oversight has left vets from every conflict since World War I without their honors.
Forgotten Heroes started in Denver in 1998 to honor as many of those forgotten vets as possible.
Vets like Adolfo Benavides, a Korean War vet, and Herbert Barkow, a 93-year-old World War II vet who served in 1952 and 1944, respectively.
Benavides and Barkow were honored Saturday for the first time. For Benavides, 68 years after his service. For Barkow, 76 years.
Between them, 8 medals and 7 ribbons were awarded, including a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross.
"The Navy Cross is the second highest you can get next to the Medal of Honor," Fiore said. "Our group has never given this before. It's the highest by far."
It was a long-awaited ceremony for the men, and equally special for their family, friends, and the volunteers of the Forgotten Heroes Campaign.
"I feel proud of myself for doing what I did," said Benavides, who was a Private 1st Class in the U.S. Marine Corps when he was injured multiple times in the line of duty. "It wasn’t because I was brave or anything," he said. "You don’t think about anything but your buddies."
When asked to talk about what the medals and ribbons meant to them, Benavides was speechless and Barkow was humble.
"They’re getting the reward they earned that they never got before," Fiore said with a tear in his eye. "It means everything."
If you are a veteran or you know a veteran who has never received their honors after service, the volunteers at Forgotten Heroes want to host a ceremony to fix that. Visit the Forgotten Heroes Campaign website to learn more.