Marines with Ammunition Company, 1st Supply Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, congratulate Cpl. Nicholas Mejia, an ammunition technician from Harrison, NJ who receives the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Feb. 23. Photo courtesy of Dvidshub.net

Cpl. Nicholas Mejia of Harrison has just been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal after helping a father reunite with his lost son.

While in California last October, Mejia happened upon 75-year-old John Q. Bellingham, whose son has disappeared while the two were hiking. Bellingham, 75, was afraid he wasn't going to be able to find him and help him when Mejia, 22, happened to appear.

His son, who suffers from diabetes, was soon found without sugar or water. Bellingham, looking to thank Mejia, wrote a letter to his command to explain what he had done.

The award took Mejia by surprise. “It's crazy. This is the first time I got recognized and congratulated for being myself. This is one of the few things I can take away from the Marine Corps”.

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Heather Chadwick for DailyHarrison.com | Contact Heather @heathercwrites