A World War II veteran from Tarrytown received two medals Friday, seven decades after the war and only after a neighbor decided to advocate for them.

Leon Gutherz, 91, was a paratrooper in the Pacific. He made at least a dozen jumps.

Neighbors, with the help of Rep. Nita Lowey, sought to have him honored for his role in the war. The spent more than a year working to that end, and it paid off Friday in White Plains when Gutherz received the World War II Victory Medal and the Philippine Liberation medal.

Gutherz says they'll be proudly displayed in his Tarrytown home.