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75 years after World War II's end, an unexpected honor for a Boalsburg veteran

from State College, PA

75 years after World War II's end, an unexpected honor for a Boalsburg veteran State College, PA It's 75 years after the end of World War II, after the 10 remarkable months William Allison spent serving in Europe with the U.S. Army. After turning 18, he entered active service and was sent to Camp Chaffee in Arkansas for basic training with the newly activated 1269th Engineer Combat Battalion — a group of mostly 18- and 19-year-olds, guided by a few more experienced older men, who sailed to France in October 1944 amid stormy seas, landing at Marseille. A diligent steward of the history of the battalion, Allison developed a website detailing its service and submitted a memoir of his own wartime service to the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Earlier this year, he received a letter from the office of the French ambassador to the United States informing him that he has been awarded the Legion of Honour, the country's highest distinction, for his role in the liberation of France. READ MORE

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