One of the highest honors bestowed to a civilian in the United States is the Congressional Gold Medal. This award went to an Abbeville man who was part of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II.
Retired Brigadier General Robert Joseph Leblanc along with other surviving members of OSS were awarded this honor Wednesday in Washington, DC.
KATC-TV reported, “Leblanc volunteered for duty with the OSS in 1943. He served in Third U.S. Army Headquarters, Special Operations as a liaison officer between units of General Patton’s Third U.S. Army and the French Underground. He served with the VIII and XII Corps as well as with the Fourth Army Division attached to the U.S. Army in France. In 1945, he was transferred to the China-Burma Theater, where he served as a special operations officer with the OSS detachment in Kunming, China. He was released from active duty in December 1945 and returned to Abbeville.”
The Lafayette television station also reported, “The OSS is considered the foundation of modern-day intelligence operations. The group organized, trained, supplied and fought in the war throughout Europe and Asia and played a decisive role in America’s victory. In addition to the civilian population, each military branch contributed personnel to OSS.”
Attending the ceremony on Capitol Hill were members of the leadership from both Houses of Congress including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Also attending the ceremony was Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins.
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TONY MARKS