By any measurable standard, Sydney Germansky is a national hero.

The 89-year-old World War II veteran from New City has two Purple Hearts, a Legion of Honor award on the way and a wall full of medals from his service during the war.

But Germansky still wears the scars of the war. He's paralyzed, blind and partially deaf. The only way he can get around town is using his van, which no longer works.

Germanksy says that for the last year and a half, he has been waiting for a special grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs to purchase a new van. He says his current van, a 2004 Dodge Caravan, is so rusted out he can no longer use it.

"They keep telling me that I have to wait in line, and according to the president's edict, no vet should have to wait in line," he says. "When I tell them that, they laugh."

Germansky has written letters and contacted everyone he can think of, including President Barack Obama, asking for help.

The grant Germansky is seeking for the van totals $19,000.

News 12 reached out to the Department of Veterans Affairs on his behalf, but has not heard back.