A punch put Harrison Perry on the path to a lifetime of service. When he was a teenager, Perry, now 96 years old, got into a fight with another boy. The pair ended up in front of a justice of the peace. "He gave me two choices - go to jail or join the Army," Perry recalled. "I chose the Army."

Perry spent 22 years in the Army and served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Upon his retirement in 1969, he worked as a security guard for Shippensburg University.

A resident of Paramount Senior Living in Maytown, Perry was recently recognized for his military service by Blankets of Honor, a nonprofit that presents veterans with blankets depicting the branch they served in.

"I was surprised," Perry said, when he learned he was going to be honored by the organization. Donald Kissinger, a member of the Mount Joy VFW Post 5752, met Perry at a brunch at Paramount over Memorial Day weekend. He suggested to Blankets of Honor that the veteran would make a good recipient of a blanket. The gift was presented to Perry on June 14.

According to his daughter, Mary Becker of York, Perry served in the military from 1944 until 1969. He began his career during World War II in the 143rd infantry in France and Germany. From 1949 to 1950, he served in the Secret Weapons Project at Sandia Base in New Mexico. Perry then served in Pusan, South Korea, from 1950 to 1952 as a motorized patrolman involved in straggler control and ammunition supply, and he also served as a troop train guard. From 1952 to 1957, he was stationed to protect the Carlisle barracks until he deployed to the Panama Canal from 1957 to 1960. He served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966, supervising security forces at MACV Compound for Gen. Westmoreland's headquarters. In 1966, Perry was stationed at Fort Dix, N.J., where he retired with a rank of Sergeant first class.

In his room at Paramount, Perry displays a shadowbox filled with some of the medals and ribbons he's received in recognition of his service. Among the accolades is a Bronze Star, given for bravery in battle, and a medal acknowledging good conduct in World War II. Perry was married to his wife, Clara, for 48 years before she passed away in 2002. He is the father of two children and has two grandchildren.

For more information on Blankets of Honor, visit http://www.blanketsofhonor.org.