Medal of Merit

Joseph “Joe” Corben summarized his service in France during World War II in two sentences:

“I ran up and down hills through farms, woods and small towns,” he wrote. “I was cold, hungry, unwashed and weary.”

He thinks the words capture not only his own experiences but those of virtually any infantryman during the war. He was part of a bazooka team in the Army but never speaks about his combat experience.

But about a year-and-a-half ago, Corben wrote a brief summary of his service in France, after learning from a veterans’ publication that the French government would honor U.S. veterans who fought for the liberation of France during World War II with the Legion of Honor medal. The medal is France’s highest honor, an award established by Napoleon Bonaparte to recognize bravery or honorable service to France. In 2004, the French government began recognizing American World War II veterans with the honor. (See sidebar below.)

Corben received multiple honors from the U.S. government, including a Combat Infantry Badge, a European Theater Badge with three battle stars and Bronze Star. He received a Purple Heart for an injury he sustained during the Battle of the Bulge, where he lay quiet for hours until medics arrived.

But the Legion of Honor medal was different. Corben said it marked the first time the government of one of the two-dozen countries liberated during World War II thanked American veterans for their service. So, he filled out the application and included his military paperwork and sent it to the French Consulate.

Approximately six months ago, he received a phone call from the French Consulate notifying him that he would be honored with the Legion of Honor medal in honor of his heroic service.

Just a few weeks ago, Corben received his medal along with a declaration from the French government. He plans to hang it on the wall of his Water Club condominium. It will hang alongside the medals that border a framed portrait of Corben as an 18-year-old Army draftee in 1943. Like so many in his generation, he had just a few months to become a military man.

“Everyone had to grow up quickly,” he said.

Corben was first assigned to the 69th Infantry Division, and then to the 87th Infantry Division, in Fort Jackson, S.C., with which he was deployed to the European Theater. The division stayed in the tiny town of Northwich, England, before getting orders to go to France. The division landed in Normandy and subsequently was assigned to the U.S. Third Army.

Corben doesn’t describe his experiences in battle, in part because he thinks he has developed a sort of “selective amnesia.”

“I think most people want to remember the pleasant times,” he said.

He’d rather remember dancing at a Northwich pub with a pretty girl or the fact that while other men in his unit received care packages with salami and chocolates from their families, his family sent him carrot juice in hopes of improving his vision at night.

Corben’s Army service spanned less than three years.

By the time Corben recovered from the injury he sustained during the Battle of the Bulge, the war had ended. He was briefly assigned to a unit in Marburg, Germany, before he was discharged. He then returned to his native Brooklyn, N.Y., attended Pace University and met and married his wife, Jacqueline. He became an accountant and, later, a partner in a public relations firm. Today, he is a father of two and grandfather of three.

The Legion of Honor medal will also hang alongside the Corbens’ many family photos that tell the story of the pleasant times.

Although his years at war make up a small fraction of his life, Corben is proud to receive the Legion of Honor medal.

“It’s nice to think that the French government honored the people who participated in their liberation,” he said.

Corben picked up the declaration from a framer Tuesday. It’s written in French and lists Corben’s name and nationality.

It’s signed by Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France — a testament to Corben’s heroic service.

Honoring our bravest
U.S. veterans, who participated in one of the four major campaigns in the liberation of France during World War II, are eligible to receive the French Legion of Honor medal. The French government has asked the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Administration for assistance in identifying qualified U.S. veterans for consideration. French consulates will distribute approximately 100 medals per year. Applicants must have written documentation verifying military history during combat.

For information, contact the French Legion of Honor to the Defense Attache, Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, D.C., 20007, or call 202-944-6502.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].