(TERRE HAUTE) — A 94-year-old World War II veteran from Indiana has received France’s highest honor for his wartime service.
The Tribune-Star reports that France Consul General Guillaume Lacroix bestowed Jimmie H. Royer with the Legion of Honor medal Sunday. Hundreds of people gathered at an American Legion post in Terre Haute to watch the award ceremony.
Lacroix said he was excited to honor “a son of America’s greatest generation.”
The Terre Haute man served as a gunner in the 106th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, taking part in campaigns in Rhineland, Germany, and Normandy, Northern France, in 1944.
He was wounded on Oct. 27, 1944, on the Lorraine front and honorably discharged in August 1945.
Royer says he has cherished for 75 years his memories of the French people and their gratitude after liberation.
Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com
