HAYDEN, Idaho — Formal recognition is back in the hands of Charles Riffel.
On Thursday, the Korean War veteran was given a new set of Army medals to replace the ones given to him following his service in the 1950s. The medals, which are now housed in a display case, were presented to Riffel by Senator Jim Risch during a special ceremony at Hayden's city hall.
"It's very special. Very, very special," said Riffel in the minutes following the presentation. "It was exciting to hear that [the medals] were coming back."
Riffel, a Kansas native, spent 14 months in Korea serving as a machine gunner with the Army's 31st Infantry Regiment. During that time, Riffel saw combat and was chosen to lead fellow soldiers on the battlefield.
"It was tough on me and tough on the kids that I was the squad leader of. I didn't know what I was doing," said a humble Riffel of his time in Korea.
Riffel was part of group that was replacing a platoon that had been wiped out by enemy soldiers, he said.
After being honorably discharged, Riffel eventually moved to Newport, Washington to be closer to family. In 1999, he retired after working for decades as a hospital maintenance foreman. He later moved to Hayden.
All of the moving took a toll on Riffel's army medals, however. He believes they were stored away and were lost in the shuffle somehow.
"I don't know what happened to them. I've moved four or five times since I was out of the service, and I really don't know what happened to them," said Riffel, who's close to 90 years old. He estimates that the medals have been gone for at least seven years.
Riffel admits that the awards have gained more significance to him in recent years.
With a renewed interest in trying to find or replace the old medals, friends suggested that he contact Risch's office in Coeur d'Alene to see if the senator could help. Riffel says he wasn't entirely sure what would happen, but contacted the office anyways.
"It was exciting to hear that they were coming back," said Riffel after learning that he'd receive replacement medals and that Risch wanted to personally present the awards to him.
"The Korean conflict certainly is one that demonstrates to the world how important military service is and how important it is to stand up for what's right," said Risch during the presentation at Hayden City Hall. In attendance were many of Riffel's fellow Veterans of Foreign Wars members.
Riffel was presented with five medals in all, including the Combat Infantry Badge, the Korean service medal, and the Foreign Service Medal.
"Thanks for your service. Thanks for what you did," said Risch before presenting the display case to Riffel.
Immediately after that, the veteran asked to lead all in attendance through the Pledge of Allegiance before briefly thanking the crowd.
"Obviously, these aren't going to get lost," said Riffel of his medals following the ceremony.