Former POW Lawrence Strahler has stayed in touch with one of the men captured with him through marriage, children, life’s losses and blessings and even today as both men are in their 90s.

He’s attended each Army reunion that he was able, to catch up with those who also served.

The medals he received, however–and there were many–were packed up and given to his granddaughter, Linda.

“I’ve never particularly cared about medals,” said Strahler, 93, a Waterford native now living in Tucson, Ariz. “I’ve given them all away.”

However, in addition to his Purple Heart, Medal of Conduct, Bronze Star and POW medal, there is one more packed in a box and not yet opened. It will mean Strahler is appointed a Chevalier (Knight) of France’s National Order of the Legion of Honor.

“I guess one more medal might be nice for her,” Strahler conceded, about the honor.

“I might have to get a suit of armor,” he added with a laugh.

Admittance into the legion of honor is France’s highest award, said Bob Johnson, a retired Air Force officer and a volunteer liaison officer with the French Consulate in Los Angeles.

The legion was created by Napoleon in 1802 to acknowledge those with outstanding achievement in military and civilian life. Since 2004, the 60th anniversary of the landings in Normandy, the French government has been awarding limited numbers of the honor to living World War II veterans with honorable service in France.

“These veterans are all in their 90s so time is of the essence,” said Johnson, who has helped to find candidates across the country.

“It’s a thrill,” he said. “It’s a little bit of glory for them in the sunset of their years.”

For Strahler, the joy is in his family’s happiness about the recognition and the fact that they will all gather for an upcoming medal pinning ceremony. That’s when, a couple months after it arrived in the mail, Strahler will finally be able to take the medal out of the box.

“They’ll all be here–my three daughters and my son,” he said. “They’re all excited about it.”

Those relatives too far away to attend said they are thrilled as well.

“I think it’s so great,” said Strahler’s niece, June Stengel, of Marietta. “He deserves it. He went through so much.”

Born in Washington County in 1923 into a family of 12 children, the Waterford High School graduate had served less than two years in the Army when he was shot in battle near Metz, France on Nov. 9, 1944. He and four others in his unit were taken as Prisoners of War, all ultimately surviving.

Strahler spent five months as a POW, much of it in German hospitals, where he had to have part of his lung removed due to the shooting.

His stories of the time are a tale of understatements.

“There was very little to eat,” he said.

The soldier began his time as a POW weighing 195 pounds and when liberated five months later, weighed only 80 pounds. A “Stars and Stripes” article from April 1945 said the men at the prisoner camp were given one small loaf of bread a day to share among six men.

“We had it kind of rough at times,” Strahler said.

He spent the time with an infected wound and bed sores on his back, listening to the war rage around him. The only other person to speak English was a wounded lieutenant from his unit, who had been shot in the knee.

“For about 10 days, the British would bomb at night and the Americans would bomb during the day,” Strahler said. “The others would go to the basement but the lieutenant and I couldn’t get out of bed. We would pull the blankets over our heads and listen to everything rattle on the floor.”

The weeks-long taking of the city of Metz earned Strahler and the other men of the 95th infantry the nickname “Iron Men of Metz,” immortalized on a large marble monument there today.

“Toward the end of the battle, some of our people captured a German colonel and he said ‘You men must be made out of iron,” Strahler said about the origin of the nickname.

His time back in Waterford after liberation was short-lived due to his partial lung removal. After getting a chest cold, he made the decision to pack up his car and move to an easier climate in Tuscon. There, he started working at a gas station and soon owned one. He still goes to work each day at 5:30 a.m. to do bookkeeping for his son at the station.

“I never thought I would make it back home,” he said. “I never expected to get my health back and live as long as I have.”

Strahler, who will turn 94 next month, said he also never expects acknowledgment but that it’s sweet when it comes.

“The French really do appreciate what we did and that’s the best part,” he said. “They really do. And I never did regret it.”

About Lawrence Strahler

¯ Born: April 12, 1923 in Waterford.

¯ Parents: Joe and Marie Strahler.

¯ Siblings: 11, with three still living.

¯ Current residence: Tuscon, Ariz.

¯ Military service: Part of the Army’s 95th infantry.

Source: The Strahler family.

About the Legion of Honor

¯ Living World War II veterans with honorable service in France before May 8, 1945 are eligible for nomination.

¯ Veterans must provide proof of service in France. Service must have been on the ground in French territory, air space or territorial waters.

¯ Documentation must be submitted to the nearest French Consulate addressed to the attention of Veterans Affairs.

¯ To nominate a veteran, visit the French Embassy website at http://ambafrance-us.org and click on the “Consulates” Quick Links button on the bottom left of the page.

Source: Consulat General De France a Los Angeles.