Nominate A WWII Veteran For France's Highest Honor

Do you know a living American military veteran who fought in World War II and participated in the Liberation of France? if so, he may be eligible to receive the French Order of the Legion of Honor (Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), the highest French order for military and civil merit, established 1802 by Napoléon Bonaparte.

The Consulat Général de France in Houston is seeking American World War II veterans who qualify to receive the medal of Knight in the French Order of the Legion of Honor. The Legion of Honor cannot be awarded posthumously, so time is running short to identify and honor qualified American veterans.

Tom C. "Ike" Morris '33, the oldest known living Aggie, received this award for his World War II service; you can read about that here.

Anyone can make a nomination. Following is information from the French consulate on how to do so:

Criteria for eligibility

Interested veterans from all armed forces must have taken part in one of the main campaigns for the Liberation of France: Normandy, Provence/Southern France or North/Eastern France. Action in Belgium, Germany, Italy or any other European country is not taken into consideration.

The file presented must contain a copy of the military separation record (honorable discharge), this application (link goes to printable pdf; hard copies of the application may be requested from the consulat général de France in Houston) and a copy of a current identity document with a picture;

If possible, you should also include copies of citations for decorations already received in France or in the United States (Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Silver Star, etc.) indicating meritorious action during wartime operations. This is particularly important for decorations omitted from the discharge document at the time of separation. 

For more information, contact at the consulat général de France in Houston: Marie-Laure Reed, marie-laure.reed@diplomatie.gouv.fr.

Please note that the Consulat de France in Houston will only process applications from veterans who reside in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.