Two long delayed plaudits for valor
MSNBC.com
Levittown - It’s been 64 years since Leon Edward Frenier crawled through enemy fire.
On March 18, 1945, Army Pfc. Frenier struggled 200 yards as gunfire erupted around him in Saarlautern, Germany, and destroyed a German machine gun nest, allowing his platoon in the 297th Regiment to advance.
Frenier and a fellow soldier then had to throw enemy grenades back out of their foxhole.
“He ended this historic day covered in blood, his rifle blown out of his hand and with shrapnel in his arms and legs,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy on Saturday during a tribute to Frenier. The World War II hero and Langhorne resident received a Silver Star and a Bronze Star for valor during a ceremony at Yardley’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6393
He was awarded another Bronze Star in 2006. The Silver Star was for the March 1945 effort. His second Bronze Star was for his bravery throughout his tour of duty.
“You set the standard for so many others to follow when it comes to devotion, dedication and service,” Murphy, an Iraq War veteran, told Frenier, and pinned the new Bronze Star Medal on him.
Bucks County state Reps. Steve Santarsiero and Frank Farry also thanked Frenier for his efforts.
While he remained quiet about his battle experiences, the 83-year-old’s face broke into a smile as his family and friends surrounded him. The room was packed with many veterans and supporters. Together they enjoyed a festive lunch that the Ladies Auxiliary provided on tables draped in St. Patrick’s Day green.
During an emotional moment, Frenier’s son David Frenier, a Vietnam War veteran and a Silver Star Medal winner himself, pinned the Silver Star Medal on his father’s dark blue jacket. Both of them exchanged quiet words during the ceremony.
“I’m very proud of my dad. He should have had it years ago, and I was delighted to pin it on him. (Our military experiences) are something we never talked about. Lately we’ve been talking about things together,” said David, of Langhorne.
Frenier’s World War II colleague Tony Obert-Thorn of Warrington wasn’t shy about discussing his friend’s accomplishments.
“I’m not a hero, he is,” he said, describing how Frenier risked his life for his fellow soldiers. Obert-Thorn served with Frenier in the Army infantry for some time before he was transferred to the Air Force, where he flew as a radio operator.
Frenier’s oldest son, Craig Frenier of Quakertown, said he was amazed and pleased that both his father and brother received the Silver Star. Craig served with the Navy on a gunboat in Vietnam.
Boy Scout Ray Reinard, a sophomore at Council Rock High School North, also received some recognition on Saturday.
As part of his Eagle Scout project, he planned a way for people to dispose of their old American flags in an honorable way. On Saturday morning, he installed one of his mailbox-shaped metal flag receptacles in the front yard of the Yardley VFW.
“The VFW has a retirement ceremony to respectfully get rid of old flags,” Ray said. The 16-year-old is setting up five of these boxes at local VFWs and American Legion posts and distributing flyers in public places to encourage people to bring in their old flags.
Christopher Desmond, commander of the Yardley VFW, congratulated Ray for his contribution.
Together with the ceremony for Frenier, “this has been the biggest afternoon for our post in a long time,” he said.
