Marion man receives D-Day certificate
A Marion man has received a certificate of appreciation from the Republic of France for his service during the Normandy Invasion in World War II.
Ed Sandwell served with Co. B, 149th Engineer Battalion, which landed at Omaha Beach June 6, 1944.
At least 20 members of the company, about 10 percent of its authorized strength, were killed in action that day.
The certificate is issued only to living veterans of the invasion and liberation of France. About 180 Kansas and Missouri residents are eligible.
A ceremony was held in April at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library, Independence, Mo. Sandwell didn't attend, but the certificate was mailed to him by the French Consul General in Chicago.
"The people of France have never forgotten the sacrifice made on behalf of their beloved country and of the great pain suffered by all of their Allies," Dominique Decherf, consul general, said in an accompanying letter.
