Mort Harris Receives French Legion of Honor Medal

Detroit War Hero and Philanthropist Mort Harris Receives French Legion of Honor Medal during a Private Ceremony at Cranbrook

Bloomfield Hills, MI - On Tuesday, November 14, 2017, Mort Harris, a World War II veteran, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, received the Knight of the French Legion of Honor medal. Created by Napoleon in 1802, the Legion of Honor is the highest national decoration of the French Republic. The medal was presented to Mort Harris by Guillaume Lacroix, Consulate General of France in Chicago, on behalf of the President of the French Republic.

"I was a bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps 8th Air Force, 95th Bomb Group, 334th Squadron based in Horham, Suffolk, England," Harris told the audience of nearly 200 family, friends, and dignitaries that gathered to celebrate the recipient, "I was a pilot because I didn't want to fight in the foxholes."

During Operation Cadillac, Harris led a squad of 12 B-17s to deliver cannons to the town of Footman-Lilas, where the French Maquis - courageous freedom fighters - and farmers used the cargo to liberate the first major city in France. The cannons were dropped out of planes with green and white parachutes and helped turn the tide of the war. Paris was liberated soon after this mission.

"Mort is a military hero, a hero to the people of Europe, and he is a life-saving hero, as some of us here can attest," said Cranbrook President Dominic DiMarco in his remarks during the special event, "Mort is a hero to all of us because of his humbleness, his friendship, his wisdom, and his generosity. I am honored to know him personally and to consider him one of my close friends."

The ceremony took place three days after Veterans Day in the West Wing of Cranbrook House, which was added on in 1918, the same year commemorated by the Veterans Day (then Armistice Day) holiday. Opposite the podium where Harris officially became a member of the Knight of the Legion of Honor, hangs "The Great Crusade," a tapestry celebrating democracy and the end of World War I.

###

One of the world's leading centers of education, science, and art, Cranbrook was founded in 1904 by George Gough and Ellen Scripps Booth. Today, the Cranbrook Educational Community comprises an Academy of Art and Art Museum, a Center for Collections and Research, House and Gardens, an Institute of Science, and Pre-K through 12 independent college preparatory schools. Its National Historic Landmark campus is graced by architecturally significant buildings, outdoor sculpture, and natural and tended landscapes. The Cranbrook community receives more than 300,000 people annually, engaging learners of all ages and interests in educational programs and experiences.