Viva le French...
Looks like "the French" are not so bad after all.[;)]
Florida WWII veterans honored by France
It was Dec. 12, 1944. Pvt. Robert Lynch was 22, an American fighter in Vesoul, France. One of his fellow soldiers in the Third Division, 15th Regiment, K Company, had just been killed by German troops in a barrage of machine-gun fire. French villagers covered the body in flowers. They cried and prayed.
'Then the mayor came over and said, `We'll never forget this. We'll never forget what you've done,' '' Lynch said. ``And I didn't believe him. I thought he was just talking.''
It was more than talk.
Lynch, now 84 and retired in Vero Beach, was among four World War II veterans from Florida who received the French Legion of Honor, France's highest award, in a ceremony Tuesday evening aboard a French destroyer in the Port of Miami.
''It is a beautiful honor,'' said 84-year-old awardee Augustine D'Amico of Fort Pierce. ``We don't get very many good feelings at this stage in life. To have somebody remember something that happened 64 years ago is a beautiful gesture.''
D'Amico was drafted at 19 and was wounded by a sniper bullet near Normandy Beach, which cut his service short. Like the other three veterans, he received a slew of awards including a Purple Heart.
In 2004, France's government began an effort to reward American WWII veterans. Since then, more than 400 Americans have been accepted into the Legion of Honor, including 50 from Florida.
Tuesday's awards ceremony aboard the 420-foot-long French destroyer Primauguet -- which came to Miami after a three-week training exercise that began in Norfolk, Va. -- featured French navy officers in crisp white uniforms standing tall while the sounds of a trumpet pierced the air.
Then, after a speech, a kiss and a hug, the four honorees received the coveted legion medal: a five-sided, double-pointed star made of white enamel that hangs from a red ribbon. It has not changed much since 1802, when the award was created by Napoleon to recognize service to France by people of great merit.
Earlier this year, the veterans received a letter from French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte announcing they had been approved for the award. ''It is a sign of France's true and unforgettable gratitude,'' Levitte wrote.
''It's not given out randomly; it's given out very selectively,'' said Elliott Herring, 86, of Tamarac. ``I was elated.''
Herring served in the Army from 1943 to 1945 and did most of his fighting in France. He was transferred to the rear of his division when his glasses broke in battle. Thanks to that, he said, he survived.
The fourth honoree, 81-year-old John Meghrian of Palm Beach Gardens, spent 10 years in the Merchant Marine and helped move troops to shore on D-Day. He retired after a career in the shipbuilding industry.
''I'm just a retired old Floridian now, trying to survive the hurricanes,'' Meghrian said.
The four veterans were shocked that they're still getting awards after more than six decades -- particularly Lynch, who said this is proof that the mayor of Vesoul kept his word.
Florida WWII veterans honored by France
It was Dec. 12, 1944. Pvt. Robert Lynch was 22, an American fighter in Vesoul, France. One of his fellow soldiers in the Third Division, 15th Regiment, K Company, had just been killed by German troops in a barrage of machine-gun fire. French villagers covered the body in flowers. They cried and prayed.
'Then the mayor came over and said, `We'll never forget this. We'll never forget what you've done,' '' Lynch said. ``And I didn't believe him. I thought he was just talking.''
It was more than talk.
Lynch, now 84 and retired in Vero Beach, was among four World War II veterans from Florida who received the French Legion of Honor, France's highest award, in a ceremony Tuesday evening aboard a French destroyer in the Port of Miami.
''It is a beautiful honor,'' said 84-year-old awardee Augustine D'Amico of Fort Pierce. ``We don't get very many good feelings at this stage in life. To have somebody remember something that happened 64 years ago is a beautiful gesture.''
D'Amico was drafted at 19 and was wounded by a sniper bullet near Normandy Beach, which cut his service short. Like the other three veterans, he received a slew of awards including a Purple Heart.
In 2004, France's government began an effort to reward American WWII veterans. Since then, more than 400 Americans have been accepted into the Legion of Honor, including 50 from Florida.
Tuesday's awards ceremony aboard the 420-foot-long French destroyer Primauguet -- which came to Miami after a three-week training exercise that began in Norfolk, Va. -- featured French navy officers in crisp white uniforms standing tall while the sounds of a trumpet pierced the air.
Then, after a speech, a kiss and a hug, the four honorees received the coveted legion medal: a five-sided, double-pointed star made of white enamel that hangs from a red ribbon. It has not changed much since 1802, when the award was created by Napoleon to recognize service to France by people of great merit.
Earlier this year, the veterans received a letter from French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte announcing they had been approved for the award. ''It is a sign of France's true and unforgettable gratitude,'' Levitte wrote.
''It's not given out randomly; it's given out very selectively,'' said Elliott Herring, 86, of Tamarac. ``I was elated.''
Herring served in the Army from 1943 to 1945 and did most of his fighting in France. He was transferred to the rear of his division when his glasses broke in battle. Thanks to that, he said, he survived.
The fourth honoree, 81-year-old John Meghrian of Palm Beach Gardens, spent 10 years in the Merchant Marine and helped move troops to shore on D-Day. He retired after a career in the shipbuilding industry.
''I'm just a retired old Floridian now, trying to survive the hurricanes,'' Meghrian said.
The four veterans were shocked that they're still getting awards after more than six decades -- particularly Lynch, who said this is proof that the mayor of Vesoul kept his word.
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Great story, but:
"In 2004, France's government began an effort to reward American WWII veterans. Since then, more than 400 Americans have been accepted into the Legion of Honor, including 50 from Florida.
Why'd they wait 60 years?0 -
we waited that long to do a WWII memorial, I was proud when they were saluting americans on the 50th anniversary of D-day. 0 -
A thief in Paris planned to steal some paintings from the Louvre.? After careful planning, he got past security, stole the paintings and made it safely to his van.
?
However,? he was captured only two blocks away when his van ran out of gas.
?
When asked how he could mastermind such a crime and then make such an obvious error, he replied, 'Monsieur that is the reason I stole the paintings.? I had no Monet to buy Degas to make the Van Gogh.'
?
(And you thought I didn't have De Gaulle to send this on to someone else.? Well, I figure I have nothing Toulouse.)0 -
Sick, sick, sick.
Doug0 -
quote:Originally posted by jimdeere
Great story, but:
"In 2004, France's government began an effort to reward American WWII veterans. Since then, more than 400 Americans have been accepted into the Legion of Honor, including 50 from Florida.
Why'd they wait 60 years?
Why'd they do it at all?
I'm glad to see the veterans honored were gracious enough to accept France's gratitude in the spirit in which it was given and not ask such obnoxious and self-centered questions.0 -
quote:Originally posted by jimdeere
Great story, but:
"In 2004, France's government began an effort to reward American WWII veterans. Since then, more than 400 Americans have been accepted into the Legion of Honor, including 50 from Florida.
Why'd they wait 60 years?
They waited 60 years, cuz thier economy sucks and needs a boost from American tourist.0
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