SALT LAKE CITY – France is awarding its highest honor to a World War II veteran in Utah for his service and contributions to France during the war.
Honorary French consul Marie-Helene Glon will award the French Legion of Honor to 90-year-old Dean C. Larson at the state Capitol Thursday afternoon.
Gov. Gary Herbert and state Veterans and Military Affairs director Gary Harter are scheduled to speak at the event.
The governor's office says Larson was wounded on his fifteenth mission to Bordeaux, France while operating a ball turret for a U.S. Army Air Corp. B-17 bomber crew.
Larson, who lives in Ogden with his wife, flew 33 combat missions, including two bombing missions to the Normandy coast on D-Day.
France recognizes a small number of American veterans with the award every year.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
