Two WWII heroes receive highest honor from France

WELLSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) - The French government made an exception and awarded two medals in Wellsville over the weekend.

Larry Hannigan, 85, and Robert Sweet, 91, both who had decorated service records from World War II, received an honor from France on Saturday when an assistant defense attache for the Embassy of France presented them with medals naming them knights in France's National Order of the Legion of Honor.

Normally, the medals must be presented on French soil, such as the embassy in NYC. However, due to the illness of Sweet, an exception was made to award these two heroic men. The medal is the highest decoration in France. Both men earned the honor during the war. Sweet was an Army paratrooper and Hannigan was part of the initial D-Day invasion.

The day after receiving the medal, Robert Sweet passed away at the Wellsville Manor Care Center with his family at his side. He was wounded twice and received two Purple Hearts as well as the French Jubilee of Liberty Medal.