France recognizes 100-year-old veteran for service
Robert Reigel, a 100-year old veteran in Waupaca, was awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honor Medal for his service during World War II in France.
The prestigious award, which was established in 1802, is the highest French order of military merits and it pays tribute to soldiers who helped liberate France and Western Europe during WWII.
The presentation took place Sunday, June 30, at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King.
Guillaume Lacroix, consul general of France in Chicago, presented the medal.
Reigel, an Army veteran and member at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, enlisted in 1943 and was deployed overseas to serve in WWII.
During the war, he served in four battles and was deployed to France, England, Italy and Bavaria.
He is a decorated veteran, having earned the Victory Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with four Bronze Battle Stars, two Overseas Service Bars and a Good Conduct Medal. He retired from the Army with a technician fifth grade rank.
Mary Kolar, secretary designee of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, and Lacroix spoke at the ceremony.