Fayetteville resident Frank G. Bond is one of 12 Georgians scheduled to receive France’s highest honor, a Legion of Honor distinction, according to the Consulate General of France in Atlanta.
The Consul General of France in Atlanta, Denis Barbet, will bestow the Legion of Honor award upon 12 American Veterans of World War II to “express France’s eternal gratitude to those who liberated it from oppression from 1944-45,” according to a news release on the consulate website.
Barbet will honor the Georgia veterans during a ceremony on Jan. 27 at 2:30 p.m. at the Floyd Veterans Memorial Building in Atlanta.
Bond, who served as Technician 5th Grade in the 106th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, and the others will “receive this award in recognition of their courage,” the announcement stated.
Recipients of this honor are designated by the President of the Republic, François Hollande.
The Legion of Honor was founded in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and is the highest honor in France. Foreign nationals who have served France or the ideals it upholds may receive a distinction from the Legion of Honor.
American veterans who risked their lives during World War II and who fought on French territory qualify to be decorated as Knights of the Legion of Honor. Veterans must have fought in one of the four main campaigns of the Liberation of France: Normandy, Provence, Ardennes, or Northern France.
The others to be recognized include the following;
Farish C. Chandler, Jr. from Sandy Springs (Lieutenant Colonel, 8th Air Force)
John Martin from Stone Mountain (Major, 829th Amphibious Truck Company)
John F. Bales from Good Hope (Captain, 492nd Bomb Group, 859th Squadron)
Lloyd E. Pittman from Sandy Springs (1st Lieutenant, 492nd Bomb Group)
Harry T. Catchpole from Bogart (Technical Sergeant, 9th Traffic regulation Group, 3rd Army)
Frank W. Blackston from Dunwoody (Staff Sergeant, Company B, 36th Tank Battalion)
Arthur Mohor from Hartwell (Staff Sergeant, 302nd Infantry Regiment, 94th Division)
William B. Johnson from Atlanta (Technician 5th Grade, 340th Field Artillery Battalion, 89th Division)
Bert R. Sadler from Morrow (Marine Stocker/Landing Craft, 652 LCM Flotilla, 32RM Battalion)
Henry R. Petree from Bethlehem (Private First Class, 1306th Engineer General Service Regiment)
Janice Sears will accept the award on behalf of her late father, Michael Doi from Stone Mountain (Private First Class, 100th Battalion, 442nd Regimental Company Unit, Company C).
