TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- A Leon County veteran was recognized by the U.S. Navy and Marine Crops for his years of public service.
Retired Lieutenant General Lawrence Snowden was honored with Distinguished Public Service medals at a ceremony hosted by the Westminster Oaks Veterans Group.
Snowden served in Japan during World War II, including the Battle of Iwo Jima.
He also served in the Vietnam War and was later named Chief of Staff for U.S. forces in Japan.
Snowden says his time both as a soldier and diplomat in Japan changed his perspective on the Japanese people.
"We made it out, and I survived," Snowden said. "I'm here today to celebrate the fact that the Japanese are my friends. They're not my enemies. They never were."
Snowden has received a number of other prestigious awards, including the Purple Heart.
