All good things come to those who wait " even if they don't know what they're waiting for.

William F. "Bill" Haydon's 62-year wait ended Wednesday at the Franklin County Senior Citizens Center when U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler presented Haydon with not one, but nine World War II medals of achievement.

The 85-year-old army veteran, who served as a scout for Gen. George S. Patton's 3rd army during the Battle of the Bulge, says he wasn't aware he'd received any medals because the federal government had lost his paperwork years ago.

It was his wife of more than 60 years, Jean, who decided to pursue the honors due her husband. Their only daughter, Lisa Haydon, and granddaughter, Audrea Haydon, were also in full support.

After two years of confusion and paperwork, Jean Haydon says Chandler's office called.

During the presentation, Chandler apologized for the six-decade lapse. "I'm sorry it took the federal government 62 years to get these to you," Chandler said.

"Better late than never," Jean Haydon said. "I am so excited for him."

Bill Haydon, drafted in 1943 at 19, was awarded several medals for good conduct and victory in the war. And he got the Bronze Star, one of the military's highest for meritorious and heroic achievement.

"It makes me feel proud," Bill Haydon said. "But it brings back memories. It hurts. I've got a big heart and it's hard for me to talk about a lot of it. I think every kid should go in the army for so long. It will make them appreciate this world."

County Judge-Executive Ted Collins also presented Haydon with a proclamation, calling Haydon's generation "the greatest."

The American Legion Color Guard honored the lifetime V.F.W. member too. While Haydon sat for most of the ceremony, struggling with shortness of breath, he stood at attention during the presentation of the flag.

He says he's honored by the recognition, but is still troubled with the images of concentration camps, death and the face of the enemy.

"War is very different now," Haydon said. "Now you don't know who your enemy is. They don't even know who they're fighting."

The worst memories, according to Haydon, are of liberating prisoners in the concentration camps.

"They would fall on the ground and cry," Haydon said. "They were nothing but skin and bones. I can't describe how horrible it was."

As a scout and patrolling officer, Haydon says his job was dangerous.

"Our job " there were three of us " was to locate the enemy and find out what was ahead," he said.

But, Haydon says, the weather was almost as bad as the enemy.

"I thought I would freeze to death," he said.

But though Haydon is proud of the medals, he says he isn't quite sure what they're for. Instead of talking about his achievements, he told The State Journal about a time one of his comrades risked his life for him.

"We were all really close," Haydon said.

Jean Haydon quickly explained her husband's modesty.

"He's very deserving," she said. "Anyone who saw what he saw is."

The Shelby County native says he came home to his parents, who had relocated to Frankfort, in 1946 after he was honorably discharged and the war had ended.

"I was in England before the war, then was transferred into Gen. Patton's army," Haydon said. "I was a scout in Belgium, Holland and Germany for close to a year, but it felt a lot longer. By the time I got home I was 23."

After what some would proclaim a lifetime of service, Haydon went to work for Genesco Shoe Co., where he retired after 30 years.

But Haydon still wasn't done serving and protecting. The next 15 years, he spent working security for the Kentucky State Police.

"I thought that was enough," he joked. "I figured I had done my duty."

When asked what he plans to do with his medals, Haydon simply said, "I'll let them lay around for a little while."