Surprise D-Day veteran honored on anniversary

Surprise D-Day veteran honored on anniversary
Daily Independent; by Lin Sue Flood; 6/6/24
At the tender age of 18, Surprise [AZ] resident Ned Kent joined the Army. That was January 1940 — just four months into World War II — and he served faithfully through July 1945, virtually the end of the war. A hard worker, Kent rose to the rank of technical sergeant and fought on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. He and his troop won a Bronze Star for their heroic actions storming Normandy while under German bombardment on D-Day 80 years ago. ... But those five years of service were difficult to talk about. It took Kent decades to open up about what he experienced, including the horrors witnessed while liberating a concentration camp. One of the people he shared openly with was Hospice of the Valley social worker Roberta Fellows. Once she learned about his time in the service, she was determined to give him some much-needed recognition for all he endured. She called upon a veteran volunteer with Hospice of the Valley’s Saluting Our Veteran’s program. ... The humble centenarian was beside himself, surrounded by son-in-law Sam, a Vietnam-era veteran, and Debi, who brought a surprise gift: 11 of his medals framed in a shadow box.