First Lieutenant Dave Andrews Jr., World War II veteran, posthumously received a Legion of Honor award from the Consul General of France, Vincent Hommeril, on December 18.

  David Andrews III accepted the Legion of Honor on behalf of his father, Andrews Jr.

  Andrews Jr., a member of the U.S. Air Corps, flew 65 bombing missions before, during and after D-Day, June 6, 1944.

  Family and friends of Lieutenant Andrews Jr. gathered at the Bear Creek Senior Center in Hampton to recognize this honor.

  The Legion of Honor award has six level designations, increasing from Knight to Grand Cross. Andrews Jr. received the Knight designation of the award.

  “As time is going on, it is already 70 years ago now, we just think that the veterans risked their lives, so, for us French authorities, it is sufficient to have been present in those days in 1944 to help liberate France to merit this Legion of Honor,” said Hommeril. “Any veteran we can hear of and who has done this thing the Legion of Honor is bestowed. It is a lot of work [to find veterans].”

  Hommeril expressed sincere gratitude to veterans like Andrews Jr. that worked to liberate France in the battle at Normandy.

  “For me, personally, it means a lot because I was born in Cherbourg in Normandy, I have a house in Normandy. Of course, I was born after the war, but my parents, grandparents, aunts, they all knew the war, experienced it and so I really lived through it,” said Hommeril. “I can imagine the great job the veterans did to liberate my country and especially my province, so, for me, it means a lot. I am very happy to be in this position of Consul General and, in a way, to thank them for what they did, even if it is a long time ago.”

  The National Order of the Legion of Honor was created by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. The highest decoration bestowed in France by the current president, the Legion of Honor award recognizes outstanding services to the French Republic.

  The decoration is meant to express the gratitude of the French people to the American soldiers that helped liberate France between June 6, 1944 and May 8, 1945. Today, there are roughly 93,000 Legion of Honor recipients which include, but are not limited to, WWII veterans.

  Veterans most often hear about the award through their American Legion office or through the media.

  Andrews Jr.’s son, Andrews III, petitioned for his father to receive the designation. Both Andrews Jr. and Andrews III were notified that Andrews Jr. would receive the award prior to his passing this July.

  “I had to petition the French government for this award. Dad knew he was getting it, that he was approved, but he did not live long enough to actually see it,” said Andrews III.

  Andrews Jr. had a love for flying from a young age. When asked which aircraft was his favorite to fly, he tellingly replied, “whichever one I am in.”

  “He knew he wanted to be a pilot, so he signed up for the Army Air Corps,” said Andrews III.

  Andrews Jr. joined the U.S. Army Air Corps on March 25, 1943.

  “When he began his training, there was a test. You could go either of two ways. If you were really accurate on the machine gun, you became a fighter pilot. If you weren’t really good with machine guns, you became a bomber. As it turned out, he fired 750 shots at a target and they think he hit it four times,” laughed Andrews III. “So, he became a bomber pilot.”

  After training in the United States, he was sent to the Wethersfield Airfield in England.

  Andrews Jr., was a bomber pilot with the 416 Bomb group of the 9th Air Force. He participated in the Air Offensive Europe Campaign as well as the Normandy, England and Germany campaigns.

  During his 65 bomb missions, he targeted V-2 rocket sites, railway bridges and railroad marshalling yards.

  On D-Day, Andrews Jr. and 37 other A-20 pilots helped turn the tide of the ground war in Germany.

  Rail cars with 1,000 Panzer tanks were headed on a train to Normandy. Andrews Jr. was one of the 37 aircraft sent to stop their efforts. In the encounter, only four aircraft were lost and only four returned without battle damage.

  Andrews Jr. flew his last mission on December 2, 1944.

  For his family, this Legion of Honor designation is a testament to the legacy of Andrews Jr., father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

  “I just think it’s an honor,” said grandson, David Andrews IV.

  “Our son loves military history, so he loved listening to Grandpa Andrews tell stories about being a bomber pilot in WWII,” said Allison Andrews, wife of David Andrews IV. “This past summer, we actually visited France. We saw the beaches of Normandy and went through the Norman countryside, this kind of brings it all in closed circle.”