France News

French bravery award for US veteran unjustified

Thursday, 09 July 2009

French bravery award for US veteran unjustified

A Legion d'honneur bravery award made to an American veteran, who claimed he parachuted into Normandy in the D-Day landings in June 1944, has been found to have been a case of fraud.

84-year-old Howard Manoian said that he had landed in Sainte-Mere-Eglise in France where a battle took place, however, his military records, obtained by the Boston Herald, show that he spent the war behind the front line.

Based on this, Manoian had become a local war hero in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, where there was a plaque erected to honour his name.

Manoian claimed he was with the famous 82nd Airborne Division, but in actuality, it was found that he had served with the 33rd Chemical Decontamination Company and was behind the front line.

For the greater part of the war he had been in charge of a supply dump in northern France.

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