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Springfield man gets thank-you -- and medal -- from France

Posted November 20, 2007 10:00 pm

Mike Ramsey

The French government expressed thanks Tuesday to World War II veteran Edward Stapleton, who helped liberate France more than 60 years ago.

Stapleton, in turn, also expressed gratitude - for surviving so many battles unscathed.

"I was so lucky that I still can't believe it," the 86-year-old Springfield resident said during a medal-pinning ceremony in Chicago.

The retired farmer and insurance salesman landed in the south of France in 1944, two months after the D-Day invasion, as a member of the Army's 36th Infantry Division. Stapleton said his diminutive frame probably worked in his favor as he fought in southern and eastern France and Italy with his fellow Americans.

"I'm small," he explained. "I used to dig my foxholes quicker than the rest of them. And they'd say, 'How in the hell do you do it?' And I'd say, 'Well, I made a notion to do it.'"

Stapleton was among eight World War II veterans from Illinois and Indiana who each received the prestigious Legion of Honor Medal from France's Chicago-based consul general, Jean-Baptiste Main de Boissiere. The award dates back to Emperor Napoleon in 1802, but the French government only recently began bestowing the honor on some of the U.S. soldiers who helped reclaim France from Nazi Germany.

"It's very clear that without your intervention, without the intervention of the U.S. Army, it would not have been possible to save France for democracy," Main de Boissiere said. "I want to express the deepest gratitude on behalf of my country."

Also receiving the ornate medal - and a ceremonial hug from the French consul general - were John Aurenz of Palos Park, George Cramer of Crystal Lake, Roger Isaacs of Glencoe, Edward Serbin of Wheeling, Edward Schaefer of Batavia, George Tichac of Merrillville, Ind., and Harold Weibel of Grayslake, who recognized his fallen comrades.

"We all gave some, but please, let's remember the people who gave all," he said.

Stapleton's medal hung on the left front of his gray suit. It will join several other awards from the U.S. military he previously received, such as the Bronze Star and Good Conduct Medal.

The Army veteran attended Tuesday's event with his wife of 64 years, Arlene, his two adult children, Carol and Denny Stapleton, and other appreciative family members. Yet Stapleton said he almost took a pass on the opportunity to travel to Chicago when he got the invitation last week.

He said he moved on with his life after World War II, working in several professions, and for several years did not wish to speak about his combat experiences, though he has returned to France.

"At first I thought, that's 60-some years (ago), I don't want to go through that again," he said. "But I'm glad I came."

The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs helped organize Tuesday's ceremony at the James R. Thompson Center.

Mike Ramsey can be reached at (312) 857-2323 or ghns-ramsey@sbcglobal.net.

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