James L. Day; Received Medal of Honor 53 Years Late

James L. Day, the retired Marine Corps general who received the Medal of Honor 53 years after he earned it in World War II, has died. He was 73.

Day died Wednesday in Cathedral City of a heart attack.

He had been recommended for the medal in May 1945, shortly after he single-handedly repelled more than a dozen attacks and killed scores of Japanese soldiers during the battle for Sugar Loaf Hill on Okinawa. But those who sought to honor him soon died in combat and the paperwork never left the battlefield.

In 1980, a retired Marine discovered some faded carbon copies of the recommendation among his World War II memorabilia. It took another 18 years for the paperwork to catch up to officials who could act on it.

On Jan. 20, Day and his wife, Sally, went to the White House to receive the long-overdue medal from President Clinton.

After World War II, Day oversaw combat troops in Korea and Vietnam and held commands in Japan, San Diego, at Camp Pendleton, and in Washington, D.C., and Okinawa. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he amassed 31 decorations, including three Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals and six Purple Hearts.

Day spent his retirement years as chancellor of the National University campus in Palm Springs and as a partner in a Brawley construction company.

Services are Monday at the San Diego Marine Corps Depot.