“Time, it doth so quickly pass. One blink, we are in our youth. Another blink, we are old and feeble.” LM
I went to a ceremony last week, honoring a World War II veteran. He received the French Legion of Honour medal. This is the highest honor that France bestows. This medal originated with Napoleon Bonaparte. It was designed to be a medal for all men, not just the nobility. To earn the medal, one had to exhibit merit or bravery.
I drove the roads of France, last year, as I took this old soldier back to the scene of his youth. We tried to find the road where the sniper had fired upon him, but too much had changed over the last sixty seven years.
It was powerful to see this old soldier stand, on wobbly legs, and received his medal. I could not help but think, of the many young men that never made that trip back home.
I told him that he received that medal, not only for his actions, but also for the many that gave their lives, so that we might be free.