District of Columbia Life Benefactor Fellow Mortimer M. Caplin
March 2, 2009, Fellows in the news
By a decree signed by the President of the French Republic on October 24, 2008, Life Benefactor Fellow Mortimer M. Caplin has been named a "Chevalier" of the Legion of Honor.
The French Legion of Honor Medal was presented to Mr. Caplin on March 2, 2009 by Herve Morin, French Minister of Defense, at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.
This award is France's highest civilian award and testifies to the President of the French Republic's high esteem for the merits and accomplishments of its recipients. It acknowledges Mr. Caplin's personal participation in the liberation of France during World War II.
Mr. Caplin served as a U.S. Navy Beach Master during the D-Day Invasion at Omaha Beach. On June 6, 1944, Mr. Caplin, then a Navy lieutenant, was just offshore on a U.S. Navy vessel supporting the landing forces. On June 7, 1944, he came ashore and his unit's responsibilities included taking care of the wounded and dead, opening lanes for landing craft, repairing damaged boats, engaging in ship-to-shore communications, and clearing the beaches of battle debris in preparation for the follow-on invasion forces.
The Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon in 1802 to acknowledge services rendered to France by persons of great merit. French Ambassador to the United States Francois Rivasseau wrote to Mr. Caplin, "The French people will never forget your courage and your devotion to the great cause of freedom."
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