Retired Army Captain Bernard Rhatigan, age 90, will receive the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor on Monday, Aug, 23 at the Wright Museum. The honorable Christophe Guilhou, Consul General of France in Boston, will decorate Capt. Rhatigan with the prestigious medal and induct him as a Knight in the Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur in recognition of his valor while serving in the American Army in the liberation of France during World War II.

The citation will recognize then-Lieutenant Rhatigan for his combat service with the Army's 23rd Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, which began on June 8, 1944, when he landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France with the Allied invasion forces. His regiment battled intense attacks from the Germans as it advanced up hill through the hedgerows and succeeded in capturing Hill 192, the enemy's heavily fortified key terrain point. The regiment later fought in the Battle for Brest, which had some of the fiercest street battles of the war.

Rhatigan was wounded by enemy fire and evacuated, but later rejoined his unit and participated in battle campaigns in Northern France, the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe. In addition to the Purple Heart and several campaign medals, he earned the Bronze Star, the fourth-highest combat award of the U.S. armed forces.

WHERE: The Wright Museum, 77 Center Street, Wolfeboro, NH 03894; Phone: (603) 569-1212

CONTACTS: Georgene Sellinger, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Adrien Bignet, French Consulate, 617-832 4412 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it