World War II veteran finally receives POW medal

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota veteran shot down and held captive in World War II has received a long overdue military medal.

Bob Michelsen, of Apple Valley, was a 19-year-old Air Force B-29 gunner flying over Japan in May of 1945 when his plane was hit and began burning out of control. He was among the airmen who parachuted to the ground and were captured and taken to a Japanese prison camp.

WCCO-TV reports Michelsen was told he didn't qualify for a POW medal because his discharge papers didn't say he was a prisoner of war. But Sen. Al Franken's office helped Michelsen change that, and Franken presented the medal to the 89-year-old at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis on Sunday. Michelsen continues to serve, spending several hours a week volunteering at the VA.

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