Laurens WWII veteran presented French Legion of Honor Medal
HONORED FOR SERVICE — Following her presentation of the French Legion of Honor Medal, French Consul General Anne-Laure Desjonquères, left, listens as WWII Veteran Paul O’Dell tells how a friendship was forged with two French families once France was liberated in 1944-45. The Legion of Honor Medal, left, is the highest award bestowed by France. Photo by Judith Brown
Laurens, South Carolina – World War II veteran Paul O’Dell has a wooden case holding the medals and honors from his time serving in England and France, but Tuesday he added to the collection for his role in the liberation of France from Germany in 1945.
The Laurens native, now 103, was presented France’s Legion of Honor Medal, an intricate green and white medallion that is the highest award given in France.
“The National order of the Legion of Honor is France’s most prestigious order, and it’s bestowed on French citizens as well as foreign nationals, including veterans,” said French Consul General Anne-Laure Desjonquères. “Mr. O’Dell, you are one such veteran as eight decades ago you risked your life in the name of freedom to liberate my country.”
Desjonquères explained that France and the U.S. have always defended the values of freedom.
“Mr. Odell, you are a true hero,” she said. “Your example gives us inspiration for the future, and your legacy provides a moral compass for generations to come.”
O’Dell was 20 years old when he and several friends from Laurens enlisted in the U.S. Army in the fall of 1942, joining thousands of other young Americans who were responding to the invasion of Europe by Germany and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Former State Representative and Magistrate Mike Pitts said what O’Dell did was answer the call to Americans when the need arose.
“When the Nazi and fascist regimes drove across Europe creating devastation, Americans rose to the occasion and came to restore order to that chaos and to restore liberty to Europe,” Pitts said.
That’s what O’Dell signed up for, Pitts said, and only when his work was complete did he return to his Laurens farm.
“When I was elected to public office Mr. Paul called and told me what you do is more important than what you say,” Pitts said, adding that everything O’Dell has done has been done with honor.
O’Dell stood as Desjonquères pinned the elaborate medal onto his jacket, and he told the large audience stories of the families who served him and a fellow soldier lunch each Sunday once the country was fully liberated.
“The two girls called us and told us their father had been killed,” O’Dell said. “He was a journalist and the Germans had beaten him to death. It wasn’t just the soldiers who suffered. The French civilians suffered and gave their all for their own country.”
Following the ceremony, Desjonquères explained that honoring veterans such as O’Dell is not only done by government officials, but by the people of France.
The people in the region of Normandy decorate the graves of fallen Americans with flowers, and when American veterans come to visit Normandy, people in the area, including some descendents of those who lived there in WWII, still come to meet them.
“Every year in June there’s a big parade in most of the villages where the U.S. Army first entered, and everyone is in the street,” Desjonquères said. “People travel to meet and greet American veterans. It’s a great honor for them. My grandfather told me during my whole childhood that, you know, American soldiers, they were our liberators. We owe them everything.”
For anyone wishing to read more about Paul O’Dell’s life and his service in France, read the Page 1 story from our Veteran’s Day issue of The Advertiser, Nov. 12, 2025 at the link below. https://www.laurenscountyadvertiser.net/2025/11/20/221088/
This story ran on Page 1 of the Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2025 issue of The Laurens County Advertiser.
