WWII veterans receive Legion of Honor medals

LITTLE ROCK — The French government recognized 12 World War II veterans Monday with its highest distinction, the French Legion of Honor Medal.

Among the dozen recipients were four veterans from the Three Rivers Edition coverage area.

Beatrice Moore of Batesville, honorary consul of France for Arkansas, presented the medals in a ceremony in the rotunda of the state Capitol. U.S. Reps. French Hill, R-Ark., and Rick Crawford, R-Ark., assisted Moore.

“This is the largest group we have recognized in Arkansas,” said Moore, who is originally from Paris.

Moore thanked the veterans for their service.

“The government of France is deeply grateful to all of you … for helping us regain our freedom, our pride and our honor,” she said. “These veterans … were just 18 to 25 years old when they landed on Omaha Beach. They were just kids, … and most of them were farmers.

“The Legion of Honor was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. It is the most prestigious decoration in France. Among Americans who have received it are Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

“Today France gives the Legion of Honor to all American veterans who were in one of the major campaigns to liberate France. Today, we must recognize all World War II veterans. … France is a free country because of what they did. I thank you for your bravery.”

She said the United States and France must continue to stand together to defend freedom.

“There is another war in front of us,” she said. “God bless America … viva la France … long live the friendship between our two great countries.”

Following Moore’s remarks, Hill and Crawford introduced each of the veterans, and Moore presented each of them with the medal, speaking to them in French.

Following is a brief look at the local veterans.

ALVIN McCARN

Born in 1924, Alvin McCarn

has lived in Stone County most of his life. He will be 92 on Aug. 7.

“I lived in Izard County for a while and was living there when I went into the Army,” said McCarn, who lives in Mountain View. “I got drafted. I was in the ‘first wave’ that landed on Omaha Beach [on D-Day, June 6, 1944]. I was 20.”

McCarn was a member of Company C, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division.

“People do not realize that the ‘first wave’ was not the worst,” he said.

“No one was on that beach when we landed. It was a complete surprise [to the Germans]. I don’t believe I saw but one or two Germans then. One had a machine gun and fired a burst as we crashed the beach, and one sniper killed a boy while he was cutting a wire,” McCarn said.

“There was a ravine there, where they came down to the beach. We climbed up that hill without another shot being fired,” he said.

“All the [German] generals went home,” McCarn said. “They thought the channel was too rough to cross.

“If we had landed a few hours later, I might not be here today. I’m lucky to be here.”

McCarn was seriously wounded in July 1944.

“I was wounded 26 days after we landed,” he said. “They sent me to England, where I was in the hospital for about six months. Then they sent me home, and I stayed in the hospital for about a year. I didn’t get out until February 1946.”

McCarn married the former Mary Davis on May 19, 1949. They were married 62 years before she died in 2012.

They had two sons, Bobby, who died in 2002, and Jim, who lives in Mountain View. Alvin McCarn has three grandchildren and seven grandchildren.

McCarn said he farmed most of his life.

“I didn’t make a lot of money, but I did what I liked to do,” he said. “I was raised up on a farm and always liked it. I never did like the city.”

As for the French Legion of Honor Medal he just received, McCarn said, “I don’t get into that much (honors and recognitions). It’s the ones who didn’t come home that are the true heroes.”

In recognition of his service during World War II, the United States awarded McCarn the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal plus one bronze battle star, the World War II Victory Medal and the Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster.

WILMER PLATE

Born in 1919 in Iowa and raised in Texas, Wilmer “Will” Plate has lived in Jacksonville since 2006.

He was 23 when he joined the Army Air Corps in June 1942. As a B-24 Liberator pilot in the 489th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, he led his nine-man crew on more than 30 missions over Germany, France and Belgium. He was wounded in an aircraft crash landing in England in October 1944 when returning from a mission carrying fuel to [Gen. George] Patton’s advancing Army.

Plate retired from the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Command Center in Los Angeles in December 1971. He is an Air Force Reserve retired lieutenant colonel. His civilian career included working for the Oklahoma State Employment Service for 30 years.

Plate, whose wife of 71 years, Helen Louise, died in 2011, has two daughters, Eleanor Isaacsen of Hemet, California, and Mary Engel of Jacksonville. He has five grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren.

When asked about receiving the French Legion of Honor Medal, Plate said, “I feel real emotional about it. It’s quite an honor.

“I never expected it. I might shed a tear or two before this is all over.”

Pate participated in the campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, Alsace Lorraine and Central Europe. In recognition of his service, the United States awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze service stars and the Purple Heart Medal.

JAMES ‘TINKER’ SILER

Born in 1925, James “Tinker” Siler has lived in Bradford all his life.

“I was a senior in high school, and I got drafted before the year was out,” he said.

He was 19 when he arrived in Europe at the end of June 1944 with the 5th Medical Battalion, 5th Infantry Division, which was part of Patton’s 3rd Army. Siler was a combat medic in Company C. His job was to bring wounded soldiers from the front lines to the rear to treat them.

“I was over there a little over a year,” he said. “During the Battle of the Bulge, I got frostbite in my feet and legs and had real serious pneumonia. I was in the hospital about 10 days. Then I went right back out onto the battlefield.”

Siler participated in the campaigns of Alsace/Lorraine, Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) and Central Europe.

In recognition of his service, the United States awarded Siler the European-African-Middle-Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze service stars and the World War II Victory Medal. He recently received the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Medical Badge in a ceremony at the White County Courthouse; he was awarded the medals during the war but never received them.

“I am honored to be receiving the French Legion of Honor Medal,” Siler said. “I never expected it. I am honored. This is truly a distinction.”

Siler and his wife, Marilyn, were married for 50 years before she died in 2005.

Siler has three children: Lisa Hoofman of Little Rock, Loucinda “Cindy” Brinkley of Bradford and Greg Siler, also of Bradford; and five

grandchildren.

James Siler was a rural mail carrier for more than 20 years and sold real estate. He also served on the Bradford City Council for 15 years.

KENNETH SMITH

Born in 1925, Kenneth Smith was raised in the community of Clay in White County.

He was an anti-aircraft gunner and 19 when his unit landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He was a member of Battery C, 413th Artillery Battalion.

“This is a wonderful honor,” Smith said of the French Legion of Honor Medal.

Smith and his wife, Mabel, have two sons, Gary and Jimmy, who both live in Albion in White County. The couple have six grandchildren and eight grandchildren.

Smith lived for a while near Carlsbad, New Mexico, where he and his family worked in the potash mines. When he returned to Arkansas, he farmed for a while. He worked numerous jobs and retired from what was then Birdseye Foods, now Land O’Frost.

Smith participated in the campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), Alsace/Lorraine and Central Europe.

In recognition of his service, the United States awarded Smith the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with five bronze service stars and one bronze arrowhead, the Good Conduct Medal and a Unit Commendation by Brig. Gen. E.W. Timberlake.