Oregon Public Broadcasting

As the nation pauses to remember its veterans Tuesday, one Salem man is getting ready to be honored by the French government for what it calls his exceptional conduct during World War Two. Chris Lehman reports.

Don Malarkey already has medals.  The Bronze Star, the Purple Heart.

Don Malarkey stands next to a display of medals in his Salem home.

You can add to that the Legion of Honor Medal, the highest honor awarded by the French government. 

The 88-year-old Malarkey will receive the medal at a ceremony next week in Portland. 

Malarkey parachuted into France on D-Day and fought on the front lines across Europe and into Germany. 

The Salem man says he joined the war effort as part of a way of avenging the death of his two uncles during World War I.  But he says his experience turned into much more than that.

Don Malarkey:  "You could look back and with great pride realize that you had done a very significant thing and acted responsibly in what amounted to saving the world."

Malarkey was part of a battalion that became known as "Easy Company."  The group was depicted in the HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers."

Online: Wikipedia entry on Don Malarkey