100-YEAR-OLD ROYAL MARINE GETS D-DAY MEDAL

 

One of the last D-Day heroes has fulfilled his final wish, after being granted a medal recognizing his role in the historic invasion of June 6, 1944.

Don Butt was presented with the medal last week, more than 80 years since he lived through the horrors of the Normandy landings in France.

The 100-year-old said the medal would ‘complete his life' prompting a race against time to get the French authorities to approve it before he died.

And in an emotional meeting, Don was handed the insignia by the Royal Marines in what his family said was a ‘dream come true' for him.

Don signed up to the Marines when he was 17 and just a year later was part of the landing crew in the first wave at Juno Beach.

Don was in the direct firing line and watched friends and colleagues killed in front of him. He recalls being in the water and clinging to ropes with bombs and bullets flying all around him to enable waves of troops ashore.

For decades he didn't speak about the day and has only recently opened up to family and friends, after living with the mistaken belief that he was "too young" to be entitled to a medal.

After sharing his story with a fellow marine, efforts were made on his behalf to get him the Légion d'honneur from the French authorities.

It was confirmed that his age ‘doesn't matter' but an initial application for his medal, submitted in 2024, was rejected for reasons that were not disclosed.

Following advice from the Ministry of Defense, a second application was submitted last year—and the French authorities were praised by The Royal Marines Historical Society for speeding up the process when the omission became clear.

John Rawlinson, of the Royal Marines Historical Society, who helped Don with his application said: "We are delighted that Don has received his medal, as a young man he was one of the generation who were willing to give all for their country and their friends and families.

"The Royal Marines and the wider Commando community are proud he is one of their family—once a marine, always a marine."

To read the complete article, see:
100-Year-old D-Day Hero Fulfills Final Wish to be Awarded Campaign Medal From France After Helping Liberate Her (https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/100-year-old-d-day-hero-fulfills-final-wish-to-be-awarded-campaign-medal/)

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