Seventy-two years after D-Day, six World War II veterans slowly stood inside the Colorado Capitol on Monday and smiled as they received France’s highest honor.
Their families clapped and cheered, as the men were kissed on the cheeks by , while he pinned a medal to each of their lapels. France bestowed the rank of chevalier (knight) in the Legion of Honor upon the men.
Monday’s event wasn’t actually about D-Day; it was to honor the men who exhibited exceptional merit and provided a distinguished service to France during their military tours.
A seventh man, Lt. Col. Harry C. Beal, was not able to attend Monday’s event because of health issues. Beal, who served in the Air Force and now lives in Longmont, fought on D-Day. He led a 13-plane formation across the French coast and received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his mission.
The Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon in 1802. to Beal; Master Sgt. Hugh McGinty, Air Force, of Boulder; Tech. 5 Robert E. Petersen, Army, of Denver; Tech. 5 Eugene J. Petersen, Army, of Severance; Staff Sgt. John H. Doyle, Army Air Forces, of Denver; Staff Sgt. Gustave W. Jacobsen, Army Air Forces, of Colorado Springs; Cpl. John A. Pederson, Army, of Lakewood.
“(This) gives an opportunity for the family to see some of the events I was involved in, and also for me to explain a few things,” Pederson said. “Otherwise, it was just a very nice day, and I appreciate the interest of all of the attendees here.”
Wesley West, a veteran of Vietnam, has organized this ceremony for the past three years. He’s planned six so far. He finds the veterans, researches them, interviews them, collects photos from their service and books the room where the ceremony is held.
“They feel good about it. Their stories are just fascinating, and I’m kind of a history buff anyway. And so pulling it together is just something that I like to do,” he said.
Jacobsen, another of the men honored, is a decorated veteran. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the Jubilee of Liberty Medal, but his daughter, Debbie Jacobsen, said she doesn’t remember attending any ceremonies for his accolades.
“(This is) awesome. What an awesome experience,” she said. “He’s gotten so many medals in his career, when I was younger, but I don’t remember going to any ceremonies. So now I live in Texas, and I came for this. And itap just amazing.”
Each of the men’s stories were read aloud during the ceremony before they were knighted. For some family members, this was one the few times they had heard the details of what their loved one experienced.
“He never talked about the war. You know, we would ask questions about it, and he would never talk about the war,” said Karen Drury, one of Pedersen’s daughters. “We learned a lot more about his time in the war and some of the atrocities he saw.”
For McGinty’s granddaughter, Tamara McGinty Rittner, one of the more important takeaways from the day is that now these veterans are knights.
“I’ve known my grandpa all my life, and he was just grandpa,” McGinty Rittner, said, “but now we get to call him Sir Grandpa.”
