BELLFLOWER - A Bellflower veteran earlier this month received the long overdue service medals earned by his late brother, Charles Duessent, who served in the Navy as a hospital corpsman third class.Duessent was killed in action on Feb. 12, 1970 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. He was 21. As his only surviving relative, James Duessent contacted the office of Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard for help in obtaining the medals. The congresswoman wrote a letter to the Department of the Navy on April 27. The Navy delivered the medals on Aug. 26. The medals included a Bronze Star (with Combat V); Purple Heart; the National Defense Service Medal; the Vietnam Service Medal (with one Bronze Star); a Combat Action Ribbon; a Gold Star Lapel Button; and the Vietnam Campaign Medal with a 1960 Device. In memory of his brother, James Duessent, who also served in Vietnam, initiated the successful effort to have a baseball field named after him at the Dean L. Shively Middle School in their hometown of South El Monte. The site is where the two brothers played baseball together as children. The medals will be on display at the school.

********** Published: September 22, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 23