No one could blame Jim Oien for tearing up Tuesday as U.S. Rep. Steve King awarded to him the four medals he earned during his 1967-68 tour in Vietnam.

Oien said his emotions -- likely heightened by medications he takes for three illnesses linked to his service -- spoke to his gratitude in finally receiving the medals, but also to his thankfulness for what Veterans Administration is doing for him lately. "And the main reason," he said, "is so people will be aware of the veterans, not only those coming home now, but those who came home years ago."

He served as a Boatswains Mate 3rd Class aboard the USS Sacramento, a ship that supplied everything from ammunition and fuel to fresh water and food to U.S. battleships and other vessels fighting from sea. After his that service, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserves. He remained in the reserves until 1972.

"There is help and people should know about it," Oien told a small audience which included his wife, Vicky, in the meeting room of King's Sioux City office. "It's a relief to know my maladies will be covered now the rest of my life. We'd be financially crushed if we had to pay the bills."

It costs Oien about $120,000 a year for treatment. He suffered from prostate cancer, non-Hodgkins lymphoma -- an incurable, but treatable, blood cancer -- hypertension and Type II diabetes, which is linked to Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant widely used in Vietnam.

He has been rated at 220 percent disabled. He said his wife's health insurance covers his costs for now, but won't when she retires. Oien said he worked with "the feds" for five years and finally turned to Sandy Hanlon, King's district representative in Sioux City, for help getting over the hurdles.

King presented four medals to Oien: National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with Bronze Star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea), and the Korean Defense Service Medal. Oien was not expecting the two awards for service in the Korean theater, but he did serve there. The Sacramento was sent to Korean waters in early in 1968 when North Korea attacked and captured the USS Pueblo and its crew. After 11 months, North Korea released the Pueblo's surviving 82 sailors. But it has kept the ship to this day, Oien said.

King, who began the medals presentation by leading the Pledge of Allegiance, recalled that, as a boy, every adult male he knew had worn a uniform.

"It's a profound thing to consider," he said of their service. "We owe them the best for the price they have paid. That means we follow through with the benefits promised and the medals they have earned.

"You've given us a precious gift," King told Oien. "That's our freedom, our liberty."