WILMORE, Ky. (AP) — A 95-year-old World War II veteran in Kentucky will be awarded the French Legion of Honor, that country's highest distinction.
The Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs says Alvin H. Perry of Wilmore will receive the medal June 6 at the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore for his participation in the liberation of France. The date is the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
Consul General of France to the Midwest Guillaume LaCroix will present the medal to Perry.
The department said as a private first class, Perry was a member of the 331st Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. Perry landed at Omaha Beach on June 18, 1944. He participated in the Battle of Normandy, where he was wounded in action and captured. He was held captive in Germany and Bavaria for 10 months.
