101-year-old Kitchener WWII veteran receives honour from France

A veteran from the Second World War has received one of France’s highest honours. CTV’s Krista Sharpe explains.

Canadian Second World War veteran John Neu has been awarded one of France’s highest honours.

John Neu received the Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur during a ceremony in Cambridge, Ont. Wednesday afternoon.

The recognition is given to people who have made exceptional contributions to France.

The 101-year-old was at a loss for words at first.

“I don’t know what to say. I really don’t know what to say,” Neu told CTV News.

When he did find the words, he was very humble.

“I don’t feel that I was worth it. I don’t feel I really did anything unusual. And so, usually you do break off. Yeah. I read about someone getting married. I have an award during a war. Sure. They’ve done something brave. I don’t know if I ever did anything brave except volunteer to go into the war,” he said.

“I never in my life thought there would be such an honour bestowed upon me,” he added.

As a child, Neu immigrated to Canada from Romania and has mostly lived in Kitchener ever since.

In 1942, he enlisted in the Canadian army at the age of 19.

“I grew up very fast in four years. Very fast. Too fast,” he reflected.

Neu’s father was German and the 19-year-old’s fluency in the language earned him a unique assignment in the 21st Army Group which consisted of the Second British Army and the First Canadian Army. He also later helped to liberate Germany and relocate Canadians amidst the horror of concentration camps. Despite developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he continued to serve until the end of the war.

“I am pleased to have been part of this large group of men and women who volunteered to fight for what we thought was right,” he told the crowd while accepting the honour at a formal ceremony put on by the Probus Club of Cambridge.

The Probus Club hosts meetings for retired and semi-retired community members who are looking to socialize with others. Neu was a founding member of the club back in 1987.

“He reads a lot of books. He’s very talkative and just a joy to be around. And with his wife Sibylle - they make a great pair. They’re very, very nice, very welcoming,” Leader of the Veterans Committee at the Club, David Shaw said.

Shaw said Neu actually receive the medal months ago, but the club felt he deserved a proper ceremony . That’s when several members took it upon themselves to contact the French and Canadian governments to put together a proper event.

“It’s a huge operation that was launched ten years ago by the French government to award the Legion of Honor to the Canadian veterans,” Consulate General of France in Toronto, Bertrand Pous told CTV News at the event.

Neu is one of 1,200 Canadian veterans chosen by the French to receive the award.

“Sometimes it was difficult with the Canadian authorities to identify these veterans and sometimes it’s late. But it’s never too late too to recognize the effort that these men, these remarkable men, who made the sacrifice,” Pous added.