One of only 97 living Medal of Honor recipients was honored Saturday for saving the lives of fellow Marines by covering a grenade with his body during the Korean War.
More than half a century after being awarded the Medal of Honor by former President Dwight Eisenhower in 1952, Duane Dewey, 77, was honored at Gainesville's American Legion Post 16 Saturday.
More than 100 Veterans, UF ROTC members and people wearing patriotic hats and T-shirts attended the event.
Since 1862, the United States has given 3,467 Medals of Honor, according the the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Web site. Dewey, is one of only 328 medal of honor recipients since Pearl Harbor who lived to receive his medal.
Dewey, who lives in Hawthorne, Fla., said that a bullet to the stomach and gaping wounds to his hip made him fear for his life.
Dewey's speech lasted less than five minutes, and rather than talking about himself, he spent most of his time at the microphone individually thanking 22 people, including his wife, Bertha.
"I really don't deserve all this," he said. "I'm just another veteran. A lucky veteran."
Michelle Dubreuil, a junior in UF's Army ROTC program, said that she felt honored to watch the ceremony.
Dubreuil said that because today the military is often looked at negatively, it was refreshing to see someone honored for such a selfless act.
"It's great to get the point of view of someone who's been there," she said.
Dewey considers it an honor when men and women in the military look up to him.
"It was especially nice to see the young ones sitting out there listening," he said.
Dewey was honored by Post 16 twice before as part of a yearly tradition begun in 2007 after the U.S. Congress named March 25 National Medal of Honor Day.
Despite the two previous ceremonies and more than five decades of recognition from veterans around the country, Dewey said that the support never gets old.
"It's humbling," he said, "all those people here for me."
