A Kennett Square man wounded in battle 44 years ago in Vietnam has finally received the award he was entitled to many years ago – the Purple Heart.

“It means a lot to me, I look at it every day,” said Michael Tuscano, 66, a U.S. Marine who served in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1970. “It reminds me of my service and the 55,000 service people who died there.”

Tuscano received the award from Vice President Joseph Biden in Washington D.C. earlier this year. It was the culmination of a decades-long quest to receive the honor that involved letter-writing campaigns, telephone calls and trips to Quantico, Va., headquarters of the U.S. Marines.

Kennett Square man gets Purple Heart after 44 years