World War II veteran and local resident received the distinction of the French Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur, or National Order of the Legion of Honor, by the consul general of France in Louisiana during a ceremony Feb. 10, at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
Mr. William V. Hines was named French Knight in the order of the Legion of Honor (Chevalier de la légion d'honneur) by a decree signed by Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the French Republic.
The honor, France's highest distinction, was bestowed by Mr. Jean-Claude Brunet, the consul general of France, based in New Orleans.
"It is a great honor for me to pay a special tribute to an American Soldier and hero," Brunet said. "More than 60 years ago, [Hines] risked his young life for the freedom of France and Europe, and for the values he so strongly believed in."
Brunet spoke about how Hines played a role in freeing the last German-occupied city in the Alsace region of France. Of the 166 men in Hines's unit in the campaign to liberate the city of Wingren and capture the objective known as Hill 403, only 28 men were able to walk out under their own power. The rest were killed or severely wounded in action.Complete article
I am glad to see France honoring this hero. There were thousands just like him and many did not come home. They were real heros.
ReplyDeleteKartman, I am too. It is richly deserved.
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