Native Roanoker awarded French honor for his WWII service

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - A native Roanoker was awarded the French Legion of Honor for his service during the Normandy Invasion.

Ninety-five-year-old George Bandy was drafted in 1942 and served in the U.S. Army until he was later shot in the knee and leg in Germany.

Before then, Bandy landed on D+2, meaning two days after D-Day. He was tasked with clearing out Germans from town across France and on two occasions led his platoon when he says the first lieutenants left the group.

"It meant the world to me. The year I spent over there fighting, it wasn't for nothing. It was for something that meant something to the French people. I was rewarded for what I did, for my service and help to liberate them from the Germans. That's something to be proud of I think," said Bandy

The French Legion of Honor is an order of distinction first established in 1802 and it is the highest decoration bestowed in France.