Friday Aug 8

Menlo man earns Legion of Honor

France awards soldier who helped invade Normandy in WWII

By Mark Gomez / Bay Area News Group

Like many in his generation, Bob Kenyon buried the memories of his World War II experience for years. The Menlo Park man shared only the basics with his wife and son: that he was among the first soldiers to storm Utah Beach during the Normandy invasion and that he nearly lost his life in the fighting.

It wasn't until the decorated war veteran and his wife, Ruth, returned to Normandy for the 40th anniversary of D-Day that Kenyon began to open up about his wartime experience.

That visit in 1984 also sparked a relationship between Kenyon and the people of Periers, a village liberated by his unit, the 90th Infantry Division. The connection became more meaningful for Kenyon last month, when he received the French Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in France.

"It's probably the highlight of my life," said Kenyon, 83, who has also received two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. "It's a very significant thing to me."

Kenyon received the French Legion of Honor during an emotional ceremony July 9 in the home of the Consulate General in San Francisco. Accompanied by his son, Brian, and about 30 friends and family members, Kenyon was recognized by Consul General Pierre-Franáois Mourier for his "great heroism in the war."

The French government launched an effort in 2004 to give American veterans the Legion of Honor - established by Napoleon Bonaparte more than 200 years ago - after celebrating the 60th anniversary of D-Day. The American Veterans Association gave France the names and nominations, said Pierre Mattot, a spokesman for the consul general in San Francisco. France has given the award to about 700 U.S. veterans in the past 4 1/2 years.

"We are still searching for veterans and still awarding the medal," Mattot said. "We have to hurry. These veterans are getting old, and we owe them our freedom."

Kenyon grew up in New Jersey and was fresh out of a military institute when he entered the Army at 18. He was sent to Fort Benning, Ga., home of the Army's infantry school, and then to Fort Dix, N.J., home of the 90th Infantry Division, known in military circles as "the Tough Ombres."

Three months before D-Day, Kenyon's unit was shipped to England, where they trained in isolation for the Normandy invasion, though none knew their mission at the time. U.S. soldiers weren't told of their destination until after they boarded their transport ships and were out of land's sight.

Kenyon is comfortable sharing only some of the memories from June 6, 1944, the day Allied troops landed at Normandy. He talks freely about the impressive sight of hundreds of warships off the French coast early that morning, and the sensation of climbing down a long cargo net thrown over the side of a transport ship.

He only hints at the scene on the beach moments after landing, which he described as "confusing" for the thousands of American troops getting their first taste of combat.

"Nobody can prepare you for that," Kenyon said. "The main thing I was concerned about was 'I've got to be able to do it.' And I was. ... And then we saw our first people killed. That was tough to see."

After the war, Kenyon returned to New Jersey, got married and eventually relocated to Menlo Park, where he has lived for the past 36 years. Kenyon worked as a general manager of a food plant in South San Francisco.

A widower for the past five years - Ruth Kenyon died in 2003, about one month before the couple's 50th anniversary - Kenyon likes to stay busy by exercising daily. He is an active member with the Elks Lodge and a Presbyterian church in Palo Alto.

"Every day I'm alive has been a bonus," Kenyon said. "I came pretty close to not making it. I had a good life. I had a great marriage. I have a wonderful son."