Va. Guard D-Day veteran honored as a Knight in the French Legion of Honor
Former Army Lt. Cary Jarvis, a World War II veteran who landed in the first wave on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day with the Virginia National Guard’s 111th Field Artillery Battalion, 29th Infantry Division, is recognized as a Knight in the French Legion of Honor by retired French Consulate Nicole Yancey Jan. 11, 2015, in Norfolk, Va. Col. Denys Colomb, the French National Liaison Representative to Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, and Brig. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, joined Soldiers from the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team for the ceremony at the Virginia National Guard’s Norfolk readiness center. Jarvis, 92, was recently invited to the French Embassy in Washington to receive the award along with two dozen other World War II vets but could not attend for health reasons. His family reached out to the Virginia National Guard to organize an event to make the presentation. Jarvis joined the Virginia National Guard in 1939 at the age of 17 and served as a field artillery forward observer, a job that placed him on the front lines with the infantry to guide artillery fire to enemy targets. He earned a battlefield commission to lieutenant during the war, as well as the Bronze Star Medal. He served on the front lines in Europe including the liberation of St. Lo and continued to fight until Germany surrendered in 1945. After the war, he left the service and worked for more than 20 years as a milk delivery driver for Birtcherd’s Dairy in Norfolk. According to the Embassy of France website, the French Légion d’honneur, or Legion of Honor, is an order of distinction first established by Napoleon Bonaparte in May of 1802. It is the highest decoration bestowed in France and is divided into five categories: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross). The highest degree of the Order of the Legion of Honor is that of Grand Master, which is held by the sitting President of the Republic. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)
Va. Guard D-Day veteran honored as a Knight in the French Legion of Honor
Former Army Lt. Cary Jarvis, a World War II veteran who landed in the first wave on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day with the Virginia National Guard’s 111th Field Artillery Battalion, 29th Infantry Division, is recognized as a Knight in the French Legion of Honor by retired French Consulate Nicole Yancey Jan. 11, 2015, in Norfolk, Va. Col. Denys Colomb, the French National Liaison Representative to Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, and Brig. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, joined Soldiers from the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team for the ceremony at the Virginia National Guard’s Norfolk readiness center. Jarvis, 92, was recently invited to the French Embassy in Washington to receive the award along with two dozen other World War II vets but could not attend for health reasons. His family reached out to the Virginia National Guard to organize an event to make the presentation. Jarvis joined the Virginia National Guard in 1939 at the age of 17 and served as a field artillery forward observer, a job that placed him on the front lines with the infantry to guide artillery fire to enemy targets. He earned a battlefield commission to lieutenant during the war, as well as the Bronze Star Medal. He served on the front lines in Europe including the liberation of St. Lo and continued to fight until Germany surrendered in 1945. After the war, he left the service and worked for more than 20 years as a milk delivery driver for Birtcherd’s Dairy in Norfolk. According to the Embassy of France website, the French Légion d’honneur, or Legion of Honor, is an order of distinction first established by Napoleon Bonaparte in May of 1802. It is the highest decoration bestowed in France and is divided into five categories: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross). The highest degree of the Order of the Legion of Honor is that of Grand Master, which is held by the sitting President of the Republic. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)