New York (AFP) - A 100-year-old African American veteran who was wounded shortly after D-Day was awarded France's highest honor on Thursday.
In a ceremony at France's Manhattan consulate, General Consul Jeremie Robert presented Osceola Lewis Fletcher with the Legion d'Honneur award for his "utmost example of bravery and courage."
Robert also highlighted the dedication of Black soldiers in World War II, even in the face of discrimination.
Born on January 16, 1922 to a poor Black family in Brooklyn, Fletcher joined the army at age 21, and served on supply missions on the beaches of Normandy, a week after the D-Day invasions of June 1944.
The general consul explained that while Fletcher was offloading cargo, he was repeatedly cut by debris in the water, and that in a separate event, his boat was hit by a German missile, leaving him with a large gash in the head.
"You risked your life to liberate my country, France, and to liberate Europe from the Nazis," said Robert.
"Men such as you saved millions of lives. You saved our country. You saved our freedom, and you saved our values."
Fletcher, sitting in a wheel chair, briefly spoke to the audience, and said the French "helped us to rescue them ... they were fighters."
Fletcher's daughter, Jacqueline Streets, said in remarks at the ceremony that her father "has always loved France, the country, the language and the people," and noted that during his time in World War II, "he felt respected, befriended and appreciated by the French people."
Speaking in French, she thanked the general consul for presenting the honor, as well as for "having shown to America that Black lives have always had importance."
Founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Legion of Honor includes 92,000 civilian and military members, chosen for their "eminent merits" in service of the French nation.
