NATCHEZ &8212; The funeral tent erected Saturday morning at the Natchez City Cemetery was filled with family and friends huddled against the cold rain, paying tribute to the fallen.

But the occasion wasn&8217;t a funeral.

Instead, it was a celebration &8212; of a veteran receiving the honor due him 17 years after he died and 53 years after the Korean War, in which he served, came to an end.

It was on Saturday that Thomas Conn was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for wounds he received in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill in mid-April 1953.

For his part, Thomas Conn always said he didn&8217;t want to fill out the paperwork needed to receive the Purple Heart, awarded to those wounded or killed in service of their country.

&8220;He always said all he wanted to do was get home,&8221; son Al Conn said during the brief ceremony.

That&8217;s understandable, considering Thomas Conn&8217;s service included 22 months as a prisoner of war, sent to a &8220;re-education&8221; work camp and forced to live in a cage. But his sister, Helen Cloy, &8220;said one thing she wanted to do before she died was to get (her brother) his Purple Heart,&8221; Al Conn said.

Looking around at the red, white and blue wreath, color bearers and crowd of those who came to honor Thomasm Conn, Cloy said her brother &8220;probably wouldn&8217;t think much of all this hullabaloo.&8221;

&8220;But he deserved it,&8221; she said, glancing down for just a second.

So she worked for a year to fill out paperwork and gather proof of the leg, back and other shrapnel wounds Thomas Conn received in battle.

Al Conn also contacted Mark LaFrancis of Copiah-Lincoln Community College to find out the steps one goes through to receive the honor. LaFrancis not only did that but agreed to be master of ceremonies at the service.

&8220;He helped get Jimmy Searcy his Purple Heart, so I figured he could help us,&8221; Al Conn said. He was referring to the Vietnam veteran who received his medal just a few years ago.

Those who echoed that Thomas Conn deserved the honor long deferred was Betty Sanders, who traveled from just north of Memphis to attend.

She was there representing her husband, who was a POW with Conn and was even housed in the same hut.

No one can fathom what the POWs went through, Sanders said.

&8220;They even saluted the flag every day they were there,&8221; she said. &8220;They found white (cloth) and used blood to make the red and berries for the blue.

&8220;Those boys have a bond for each other you don&8217;t even have with your brothers, sisters or parents,&8221; she said.

In his remarks, the Rev. Bill Hurt said that for such sacrifices, Americans should remain forever thankful.

&8220;We&8217;re so grateful for those who serve our country, who gave their last measure of devotion to protect our freedom,&8221; Hurt said.