World War II vet touched by French hospitality World War II vet touched by French hospitality (May 28, 2003)

By H. Robert Kenyon

I am writing to you regarding the May 14 article about World War II veteran Michael Salome's decision to return a medal he had received from France due to France's refusal to back the United States in the Iraq war.

I am acquainted with Mr. Salome and I have met him on several occasions. I also knew that he was a prisoner of war.

I respect him for what he has done and also for all the time that he has put in at the VA Hospital assisting other veterans who are less fortunate. I have the same medal that Mr. Salome said he is returning. It was presented to me in Periers, Normandy, on the 50th anniversary of D-Day.

I know that the French government has taken a beating recently but I can assure you that the French people do not feel the same way.

They have welcomed us into their homes, including during the three times I have been back there, for the 40th and 50th anniversaries of D-Day and for the monument dedication ceremony in the year 2000. For me, it feels like going home. The villagers could not have been more gracious. One man in particular is responsible for this, and his name is Henri Levaufre.

He has kept alive the memory of July 28, 1944, the day my unit, the 90th Infantry Division, liberated Periers.

It was a bitter battle. The Germans knew that this would be the breakout point as we would now be getting out of hedgerow country. The village also was strategically important as it anchored the Periers St. Lo road.

The citizens of Periers lost 128 people, killed in taking the village. There were only 2,500 people in that town. I was wounded on July 26 and never made it into Periers.

However, the villagers never forgot that we liberated them from German tyranny. On the D-Day anniversaries, through the hard work of Mr. Levaufre, the citizens of Periers welcomed us to their village.

We had never met them before, but they put us up, gave us breakfast and dinner, and they even gave my wife and I their bedroom. I have never been so overwhelmed in my life.

They constantly told us that they would never forget what we did in liberating them. It brought tears to my eyes. Two years ago the citizens of Periers dedicated a monument in honor of the 90th Infantry Division, the "Tough Ombres," a nickname given to us by General Patton.

The 90th Division was in combat longer than any division in the European campaign. We also sustained the third highest casualties. We had 18,460 battle casualties, 9,157 non-battle, for a total of 27,617.

The percentage of turnover was 196 percent. We fought from D-Day to the end of the war on May 8, 1945. I am proud to have served in the 90th Infantry Division and I am still in touch with a number of men from my outfit. They had undaunted courage. They fought from the Normandy beaches to the surrender of Germany.

I have a great affinity for the French people and what they did for us. I will never forget them and I hope that this French bashing will stop because the people who are doing it cannot comprehend what really happened in World War II.

I have no intention of returning any of the decorations that I received from France as I feel it would be an insult to the citizens of Periers. When I pass away and the final call of Taps is played over my grave, it will be in Periers. I plan to return to where my fallen comrades have lain for these past 59 fine years.

H. Robert Kenyon lives on Sunset Lane in Menlo Park.