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French Legion of Honor medal. (Clark Curtis/For WDN)

Roscoe Joyner (Clark Curtis/For WDN)

Left: Anne-Laure Desjonquères, Consul General of France and Roscoe Joyner. Right: French Legion of Honor medal. (Clark Curtis/For WDN)

Anne-Laure Desjonquères, Consul General of France (left) and Roscoe Joyner (Clark Curtis/For WDN)

Friends and family gather for the ceremony. (Clark Curtis/For WDN)

WWII veteran Roscoe Joyner, 105, has been bestowed the French Legion of Honor for his military service in France in 1944 and 1945. Joyner, who resides in Belhaven, was joined by a large gathering of family and friends at the River Forest Manor. It was a day for remembrances and to receive France’s highest decoration from the Consul General of France in Atlanta, Anne-Laure Desjonquères.

“This is one of the best days of my life,” said Joyner “I didn’t really know what this was all about. I sure didn’t talk to anyone about anything. It must be about something I did during WWII that they remembered. All I know is that I did what I could, I did what I could.”

Born in Spring Hope, North Carolina, Joyner served in the U.S. Army from 1941 through 1945 as part of the 203rd Field Artillery Group, which was assigned to General George S. Patton’s Third US Army. He took part in numerous combat operations, which included neutralizing German batteries along the Moselle River, the capture of the fortress at Metz, and supporting the 90th and 95th Infantry Divisions as they advanced through the Siegfried Line into Luxembourg and Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. “It is extremely important for us French people to be able to pay tribute to the American WWII veterans,” said Desjonquères. “We know how much we owe them for our freedom. As Consul General, I enjoy doing these types of ceremonies as it is an honor to meet the veterans, hear their stories, and show them our French gratitude. We are grateful for all that they did, even our younger generations who have grown up hearing the stories about the war. We owe them everything.”

It was also a special day for Joyner’s son, David, as he shared many a story with the gathering about growing up with his father and his time served during WWII. “It is wonderful to be here and share a bit about my father,” said David. “He is a living national treasure, and we need to share him with everybody. He is part of the greater generation, and if you hang around him long enough, you will find out real quick why they were called the greatest generation. What they saw and did probably won’t be equaled in our lifetime. What a great sacrifice he made, the greatest of which was his younger brother who was killed in action in Germany,” said David as he fought to hold back the tears.

The National Order of the Legion of Honor was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1892. It is awarded to both French citizens and foreign nationals who have served France or upheld its ideals. Recipients include those who have made exceptional contributions to France, as well as veterans like the Americans who risked their lives fighting on French soil during WWII. The President of the French Republic designates the recipients.

Joyner joins a distinguished list of American recipients, which include Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Douglas McArthur, Admiral Michael Mullen, Josephine Baker, an American-born French dancer, singer, and actress who aided the French Resistance during WWII, and as an institution, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

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