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Friday, March 29, 2024

92-year-old Villager honored with French Legion of Honor Medal

George and Mary Yankowski show off his medal and certificate.
George and Mary Yankowski show off his medal and certificate.

Polo Ridge Village resident and World War II veteran, George Yankowski, 92, received the prestigious French Legion of Honor Medal from Miami’s French Consul General, Monsieur Philippe Letrilliart, in a Deland ceremony on Tuesday.

Private Yankowski, from Watertown, Massachusetts, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 at the age of 19. “George gave up a lot to enlist,” his wife, Mary, said, “but that’s what all the patriotic American boys did back then.”

George had played major league baseball with the Philadelphia Athletics during the old Connie Mack team days; and after returning from military service in 1949, he played baseball again, this time with the Chicago White Sox.

Once in the Army, George played baseball at Ft. Devens. As part of the Army Air Corps, he passed the tests to become a fighter pilot, but was moved to infantry duty instead when additional ground troops were needed for European invasions. As part of General Patton’s 87th Division, he was transported to England briefly, then to Normandy , and saw combat in Metz, France. They were sent north to relieve other American troops during the Battle of the Bulge. He also served with the ‘Third Army’ at St. Bastogne (in Belgium — considered part of the ‘greater battle of the Bulge’ ) for two months.

George Yankowski with his wife and daughter at the presentation.
George Yankowski with his wife and daughter at the presentation.

“It was a terrible winter,” Yankowski recalled. “The shooting was bad enough, but the winter was the worst. Frostbite, which was called ‘trench foot, ‘ caused more casualties than bullets.” He doesn’t like to talk about the war, but his worst moment was when he was asked to charge the enemy with a bayonet. He had been a sniper and didn’t have a bayonet. So they gave him what was called a ‘grease gun’ — an inexpensive machine gun — instead. Yankowski is a very lucky man. Once, on the ground, he was temporarily separated from his helmet, and many bullets strafed the ground within inches of his head as he reached out to retrieve his helmet.

Although Yankowski never became fluent in French, he can still sing the French National Anthem — ‘La Marseillaise’ — from memory. “The French were our Allies, and they were friendly, but we were not permitted to speak with the Germans,” he recalled. “G.I.s would be fined $64  if they were caught fraternizing with the Germans. That was a lot of money in those days.”  Yankowski was never wounded, but he was hospitalized with hepatitis from unsanitary conditions.

The French Legion certificate and medal awarded to George Yankowski.
The French Legion certificate and medal awarded to George Yankowski.

“The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor unified our nation,” George recalled. “No matter what peoples’ differences were, they set them aside to cooperate in the war effort. We all had coupons. Food and goods were scarce and had to be rationed, as all our production was needed for the war.” He recalled Cunard Line and other cruise ships used as troop transports. “At the end of the war, they had to remove soldiers’ carved initials and “Kilroy was here” cartoons from the woodwork on the ships.” (Kilroy became synonymous with the American G.I., and cartoons of Kilroy’s nose and peering eyes were found everywhere soldiers left their mark .)

The French Legion of Honor, the highest honor the French government can bestow on American servicemen, has been given to those who served in the liberation of France at the end of World War II. “The awards ceremony was done very graciously, befitting the French manner,” Mary Yankowski said. “The medals were brought in on big red pillows, and awarded to 21 veterans from mid-Florida. The French Consul made it very clear the award recipients had made a big difference in their lives and their children’s lives by changing the course of the war.

George taught high school business courses and also coached baseball. He became a guidance counselor; retired from teaching at age 62, but worked full time until he was 85. His wife, Mary, taught ‘special education’ for 48 years in Watertown,

The Yankowskis don’t hold out strong hope for world peace any time soon.

“Unfortunately, I’m afraid that’s not going to happen,” George said. “It seems people don’t want to get along. Little kids even fight over little toys — greed seems to be in the genes — but there has never been a country like America and what we stand for.”

The Yankowskis, who married after they were both widowed, love their life in The Villages. “Nothing tops The Villages,” George said. “Nothing in the world.” “We’ve been on 48 cruises together since we married, but we are very content now to just stay in ‘The Villages bubble,” Mary said. “Everything we need and want is right here. We feel safe, and we’re among people our own ages with similar interests. ” The couple enjoy s ballroom dancing and social clubs.

“Everyone here in The Villages has lived a good life and has good stories,” George added. People aren’t competing with one another and are genuinely happy when their neighbors have good fortune..When we travel and return to The Villages , we ask ourselves why we ever left!”

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