By Kathianne Boniello
A Bayside veteran who was denied the Jubilee of Liberty medal last year has received a certificate of recognition from the French government, but he still does not know why he could not have the special award.
Clyde Smith, 76, served as a private in World War II from 1943 to 1946 and helped shuttle troops, ammunition, prisoners of war and food supplies to soldiers on the front and clearly remembers landing on Omaha Beach as part of the Normandy Invasion.
In June 2001 U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) helped arrange a special ceremony for veterans of the Normandy Invasion to receive the Jubilee of Liberty medal, an award commissioned by the French government.
Smith, who is black, said when he applied to Ackerman’s office to get the medal, he was rejected and told his participation in the Normandy Invasion could not be verified because his discharge papers listed Northern France, not Normandy, as the area where he served.
After questioning the rejection, Smith said he applied to the French government himself and last month got a “certificate of thanks” from the French secretary of state for veterans affairs.
“I was elated,” Smith said in an interview earlier this week, but he still questioned why he was not given the Jubilee of Liberty medal.
Smith’s wife, Mamie, said “he should get that, too.”
The French consulate, which issued the certificate to Smith, could not be reached for comment.
The Jubilee of Liberty Medal has been presented to more than 35,000 Americans since it was commissioned in 1994 and nearly 60 veterans were honored in the ceremony arranged by Ackerman last year.
The Normandy Invasion lasted from June 6 to Aug. 31, 1944, during which 175,000 men, more than 5,000 ships and landing crafts, 50,000 vehicles and 11,000 planes crossed the English Channel to land on Normandy beaches. The invasion set the stage for the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Smith is a father of 10 who has lived in Bayside since 1956 and whose wife is a longtime member of Community Board 11 in Little Neck.
The family said the issue is one of recognition for the country’s veterans.
Smith’s daughter, Rhunette, said the family got strong support from the community after her father’s story became public last summer.
“We’re very proud of him,” she said.
After the war Smith moved from his native New Orleans to a house on 206th Street in Bayside, where he has lived ever since. Smith retired from in 1984 after working for 32 years as a subway motorman. In addition to his 10 children, the Baysider has 14 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Reach reporter Kathianne Boniello by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 146.
