For 75 years, Walter Ness has waited to receive the medals he earned serving in World War II. Now, two months after his 100th birthday, the Navy veteran was finally awarded three military service medals for his role as a minesweeper in Guam. Ness’s daughter, Karen Pennett, said her father didn’t expect to receive the medals at all. “My father was surprised and honored,” she told the Daily Record. During the first 2021 meeting of Morris Plains VFW Post 3401, the medals were presented to Ness by Brig. Gen. Vincent Malone, commander of Picatinny Arsenal. The ceremony, which took place on Jan. 20, had a small audience due to social distancing measures. “We had to follow all the [social-distancing] rules, so there’s no refreshments or any of that usual stuff,” said Ness. Still, the accommodations at the ceremony meant far less than receiving the medals he should’ve gotten 75 years …