[Tirian]

A classy move by Sarkozy.

From the article - some more background on these men:

He earned a Purple Heart after he was wounded in the Battle of Chambois and a Bronze Star for his bravery while helping others cross the Moselle River, which runs through France and Germany. He also has ribbons for fighting in five major battles, which took him as far as Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, where he was attached to the 359th Regiment of the 90th Infantry Division
....
Joining Thompson in Washington today will be Charles N. Shay, 83, of Old Town, Maine, a combat medic who served in the First Division, landed on Omaha Beach on D-day, and spent six weeks as a prisoner of war. A Penobscot Indian whose ancestors were allies of George Washington during the Revolutionary War, Shay received a Silver Star and four Bronze Stars.

[SoldierMedic]

Joining Thompson in Washington today will be Charles N. Shay, 83, of Old Town, Maine, a combat medic who served in the First Division, landed on Omaha Beach on D-day, and spent six weeks as a prisoner of war.

I have so much admiration and respect for men like this. The hell he must have seen on those beaches, and the wrenching in his gut as he chose who would ultimately live and who would ultimately die during the triage process. Being an instrument of life during a campaign of death. It is only a dream to achieve such greatness as this man has.