Mo. veteran to receive French honor

CREVE COEUR, Mo. (AP) - World War II veteran Hal Roth of suburban St. Louis is expected to be awarded the French Legion of Honor later this year.

Roth, 87, was among the 160,000 troops who landed in 1944 along the Normandy coast in France to free Europe from the Nazis.

The French Legion of Honor recognizes outstanding service to France. Recipients are named by a decree signed by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Since 2004, the French have been bestowing the medal on Americans who fought to liberate France. Last year, the Council of the Legion of Honor processed 600 requests, including about 100 from the 13 Midwest states.

Roth told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he was "very thankful" for the award, but played down his exploits, saying he did what he had to do.


Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com