SAN ANTONIO – A World War II veteran has received an award he earned 70 years ago.
Tech. Sgt. Angel A. Cruz was presented with five medals at the Federal Building on Monday.
Cruz enlisted in the military when he was 19.
He was a radio gunner engineer in a squadron nicknamed "The bats out of Hell."
Cruz’s main duty was to keep the USB-25 bombers in fighting and flying condition.
"I enjoy working on the airplanes,” Cruz said. “That's why I'm hard of hearing, because they were noisy, you know?"
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro awarded Cruz four Bronze Star medals and a Silver Star medal.
Cruz moved to San Antonio in 1955 and worked in construction, helping build such notable sites as Hemisfair Park and Kelly Field.
--------------------------------------------------------
Don't miss a thing. Get email alerts from KSAT12 today.
Get alerted to news events as they happen or sign up for a scheduled news headline email that is delivered right to your inbox. Breaking news, severe weather, daily forecasts, entertainment news, all of the day’s important events to keep you up to date wherever you are.
Sign up today. It's Free.