An Indiana man wounded in the Vietnam War has received his Purple Heart medal after 45 years.

Rep. Larry Bucshon (boo-SHAHN') presented the medal to James R. Below during a ceremony Tuesday in Evansville.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports (http://bit.ly/12Syk0J ) Below was injured in 1968 when his truck struck a land mine. He and his co-driver survived, but Below never received his medal for his injuries because the paperwork was lost in the mix as he moved around the country.

Below served in the Army Reserves until 1995. He says receiving the medal "means a lot" but that prisoners of war are the true heroes.

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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com