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Greatest Generation

Jewish WWII vets finally receive honors for their valor.

Henry Feldman currently Henry Feldman in uniform

Jacob Feldman currently Jacob Feldman in

Sydney Leitson currently Sydney Leitson in uniform

uniform

0

n June 6, 1944, under cover of
darkness, 21-year-old Air Force
radar operator Sgt. Jacob Feldman
flew on the United States' very first mission
over Normandy, dropping paratroopers
ahead of the infamous D-Day amphibious
landings.
"When I saw those men landing, it fright-
ened me;' he recalled. "I knew they were
going to face hell:'
During a later mission, he would be rid-
dled with seven pieces of shrapnel. To spare
his mother any anguish, Jacob would refuse
the Purple Heart out of fear that an official
announcement about his injuries would
reach her back home.
On June 20, 1944, Jacob's brother,
18-year-old Army PFC Henry Feldman,
would land on Omaha Beach where he
would bear witness to the horror that was
left behind after the D-Day invasion.
"They were still pulling bodies out of
the water with grappling hooks," Henry
recalled.
He would fight his way through treach-
erous conditions from the beaches of

8

September 18 • 2014

France, through Luxembourg to
Germany where he would help
liberate the Wobbelin concentra-
tion camp.
Around Sept. 29, 1944,
28-year-old Army Cpl. Sidney
Leitson, who had volunteered to
replace an ailing radio operator,
found himself under enemy fire
in France's wine country. Only a
short stone wall separated him
from the Nazis. He could hear
each bullet, like a "zip:' passing
behind the back of his head.
One struck and killed a fellow
comrade. Sidney was ordered to duck and
retreat. He refused.
"If I did, I would have to abandon the
radio, which is something I was not going to
do," he said.

Awards Delayed
That these courageous Jewish War Veterans
(JWV) were the recipients of the most dis-
tinguished awards bestowed upon service-
men is not surprising. That it took seven

decades for them to receive those
honors is another story.
Within the last several
months, France's Knights of the
Legion of Honor, that nation's
highest honor, was bestowed
upon the Feldman brothers. The
honor is awarded to U.S. veter-
ans who risked their lives during
World War II to fight on French
territory.
Late last summer, Sidney
Leitson, after assistance from
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., was
informed by the Department of
the Army that he was being honored with
the U.S Army's Distinguished Service Medal
for "uncommon gallantry under direct
enemy fire." The award ranks second only
to the Medal of Honor. It would turn out
that the delay in Jacob, Henry and Sydney's
receiving their commendations was more a
matter of modesty than bureaucracy.
Neither Jacob Feldman, now 92, nor his
brother Henry, 89, were even aware they
were qualified to be decorated with France's

highest honor. Jacob suspects that a fellow
Jewish War Veteran anonymously submitted
his name to the Consulate General of France
in Miami. On May 2, during Fleet Week
Broward Navy Days, Jacob Feldman, who
resides in Florida, received his medal in a
special ceremony aboard the USS New York.
Jacob knew that his brother Henry, a
Waterford resident, was also deserving
of this prestigious honor and mentioned
Henry's name to the French Consulate, who,
in turn, contacted the Consulate-General of
France in Chicago. Henry Feldman eventu-
ally received his Legion of Honor award, but
with a lot less fanfare. It was mailed to him.
Sydney Leitson's story is different. Two
days after his mission, Sidney's captain
remorsefully informed him that while the
paperwork had been filed to recognize his
battlefield heroics, regrettably the captain
said, "We failed to submit [a] name change:'
It turns out that the recognition instead
went to the hospitalized radio operator
Sydney had volunteered to replace.

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