France Honors Spring City Resident, Army Veteran for His Heroic Combat Decision in WWII

By

Image of Frank Horvath via the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

U.S. Army veteran Frank Horvath, a 94-year-old resident of the Southeastern Veterans’ Center in Spring City, received France’s Legion of Honor Medal last September for his actions during World War II, writes Daniel Zampogna for the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

Horvath was presented France’s highest award for valor during a ceremony at the Consul of France in Philadelphia more than seven decades after the events of June 1944.

At the time, Horvath was serving in K Company’s 331st Infantry Regiment, 83rd Division. His division had been ordered to replace the 101st Airborne Division near Carentan in France. On the way there, they ended up fighting among the hedgerows.


[uam_ad id=”71803″]


“The hedgerows were like a football field, surrounded by mud or dirt, three feet high, four feet high,” he said.

His fighting there was rewarded with a Bronze Star back home. But it was his decision not to fire on a bunker that he suspected held French civilians, as well as German soldiers, that made him a hero in France.

It turned out he was right, as 20 civilians walked out of the bunker together with enemy soldiers.

“To me, it was just a combat decision that I made, nothing big at the time,” he said.

Read more about World War II veteran Frank Horvath in the Harrisburg Patriot-News here.

[uam_ad id=”73615″]

Connect With Your Community

Subscribe to stay informed!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Advertisement
Creative Capital logo