'We had great faith'

More than six decades after fighting to liberate France from Hitler's grip, 87-year old Norvell Langhorne received his Bronze Star. Sen. Mark Warner presented the medal to the former U.S. private Friday during a ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.

Lean and tall with grey and white hair, the army veteran stood proudly as Warner pinned the medal to his blue navy blazer in front of two dozen family members and friends. Speaking in a soft Southern drawl, Langhorne talked about the wastefulness of war and lauded those who fight for their country today.

"When I think of all my comrades who didn't make it, it's quite an honor to represent them, and I dedicate it to their memory," Langhorne said, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Fighting on the front line with the 95th Infantry Division, the Richmond native drove the lead jeep in a convoy that brought much-needed fuel to Gen. George S. Patton's 3rd Army that was marching through Nazi-occupied France in 1944.

Langhorne recalled the brutal moments of war that he experienced in his 20's-crouching in foxholes while under bombardment from German artillery, using crates of ammunition as a bed, and watching comrades killed violently in combat.

"It was quite traumatic to see blown-up bodies all around you. That's quite uncommon for a citizen soldier, you know," Langhorne said.

Because of his service in Europe, Langhorne has also received the Combat Infantry Badge, the European Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and several other medals.

"I carried a New Testament Bible in my right pocket, over my heart, the whole time," said Langhorne. "Our church gave it to us."

He still keeps the hand-sized Bible on top of a bureau in his home.

"We had great faith. That's what held us up," said Langhorne with his wife of 67 years, Alice, by his side. His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were also on hand to watch the medal ceremony.

Langhorne returned from the war in 1945 and spent the next 40 years working in sales for Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which is now CSX Transportation. His job saw him live in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida before returning to Richmond in 2004.

"Never north of the Mason-Dixon line," he said, proudly.

The Bronze Star Medal, created in February 1944, is awarded to any person who has fought in the U.S. military since 1941 and has distinguished himself by heroic achievements or service. Langhorne's youngest daughter, Janet, who works for the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Richmond contacted Warner's office when she learned that her father met the criteria for the medal.

"I'm particularly proud of him because I work with veterans, and I know what an honor this is," Janet Langhorne said.

"It was a real honor to recognize Mr. Langhorne with the Bronze Star he should have gotten 50 years ago," said Senator Warner, according to WTVR. "I think it's very important to recognize the members of the Greatest Generation."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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