You could say Floyd Schmidt's neighbors in Sun Prairie beat us to it. Last month, they surprised the World War Two veteran with a special party.

This month, it's our turn to pay tribute to this very deserving veteran. We're naming Floyd this month's Unsung Hero.

During a recent interview on his 85th birthday, Floyd said,
"For 30 years, my wife and kids never knew anything about it (his war experiences), because I never told them."

For three decades after World War Two, Floyd never talked about the horrifying scenes he saw on the beaches of Normandy....or about the battles he fought alongside General Patton in Europe, or talked about the 8 months he suffered in a German prisoner of war camp.

His daughter, Diane Schmidt-Tidwell said, "He did not at all talk about being a prisoner of war. He never said a thing. and it wasn't until after he had his first heart attack. My mother couldn't understand why he would just wake up in the middle of the night, stone cold and in a sweat."

Floyd Schmidt has sacrificed a lot for his country. So, on his 85th birthday, his Sun Prairie neighbors and family decided it was time to do something special for Floyd--throw a surprise party to honor him and his service.

When asked what he thought when he first saw all the people gathered outside his home, Floyd said, "I didn't know what to think. I looked at it...and I almost went back in. I didn't believe what I saw. Then when the color guard guys came up the street I said, what are you guys doing here? You think I'm dead and you're going to shoot over me? "

With emotion in his voice, his son, David Schmidt told the assembled crowd, "I'd like to thank the neighborhood. I didn't think there were people left in this world who would go this far to do something like this for my Dad. It actually brings tears to my eyes...and it's hard for me to talk about it."

What does it mean to Floyd, to be honored all these years after the war?
"This? A whole lot..a whole lot! There's a lot of people that cared for me that I didn't think did. There's guys that did a lot more than I did. Lots of times I wonder why I'm here and they're not. I mean, it's just unbelievable, some of the things you went through, it seemed like I survived and the other guys didn't. Somebody higher up is watching over you..that's for sure."

Floyd was awarded the Purple Heart for the injuries he suffered in the prison camp. To this day, he has no feeling from his knees down to his feet because of the damage from the extreme cold.

He stays active volunteering for the American Red Cross, speaking to school children about his war experiences, and serves as a member of the honor guard at local veterans' funerals.