Local man honoured with prestigious medal

Andrea Roberts
Times Intern

 

Strathmore’s veteran George Freeman was recently knighted with the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest French order for military merit, to show gratitude for his service during D-Day in which he helped to fight against the Nazi occupation in France.
Freeman received his medal during a ceremony at the Strathmore Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 10 on April 15 in front of family, friends and a number of delegates. Gérard Carlier, a French consul delegate representing the Legion of Honour, presented the medal to the 92-year-old.
“Now we have a saying in France about gratitude,” said Carlier. “The words of gratitude are nice, but proof of gratitude is much better that is what we hope to express today right now.”
During Carlier’s speech he spoke about the sacrifice Canadian soldiers made to help bring freedom to Europe. He continued to thank Freeman for fighting on their side for democracy and freedom and for bringing happiness to their familes.
After the medal was presented, Larry Freeman gave a speech on behalf of his father saying that George would be honoured to receive the award from the French government and was happy to share it with his fellow veterans.
Larry added that he had travelled with his father to France on several occasions as part of celebration tours, during which Freeman had always been amazed at the support and gratitude of the French people.
“I would like to congratulate my father on receiving this very prestigious award and for always being a role model for so many people,” he ended the speech before embracing his father in a hug.
The event was an emotional one as people came up to thank Freeman for his military service as well as his devotion to the town, which left the veteran with tears in his eyes.
Enlisting straight out of high school, Freeman became part of the 19th Field Regiment. He was part of the first wave that landed on Juno beach in Normandy during the infamous D-Day.
The 19th Field Regiment was meant to support the infantry at the beach but the rudder on their landing craft was hit by enemy fire and they drifted off course.
Once they were on French soil, Freeman and his unit advanced through Europe until they managed to get to Wilhelmshaven naval base in Germany just before the war ended.
Once the war was over he returned to Strathmore where he became a great asset to the community, working on a number of projects including serving as Fire Chief for a number of years, his work with the Strathmore Legion and as editor of the Strathmore History Book among other things.
This isn’t the first time George has been rewarded for his hard work and military excellence. He has received the Volunteer Service Medal for serving overseas, the French Star, the German Star, Victory in Europe medal and Queen’s Jubilee medal for his time spent in the military.
He was named Citizen of the Year in Strathmore multiple times and has George Freeman Trail named after him.