Holmes honored
Legion of Honor awarded for WWII service

Lt. Col. Walter Tom Holmes of Jasper received France's highest combat award, the Legion of Honor, in a presentation Feb. 4. He can now be designated as a Chevalier de la Legion D'Honneur.

Vice-Consul General of the Houston Consulate, Monsieur Clovel-Gervaiseau, made the presentation at Brighton Gardens of Austin, a rehabilitation center where Holmes is recuperating from a fall.

In World War II, Holmes was one of the most decorated B-24 bomber pilots in one of the first Air Corps groups - the 44th - 88th Air Force - to fly with the RAF in England. He led planes that made the Ploesti air raid over Romanian oil fields which furnished Germany with much of its fuel. Having already made his required missions he did not have to fly this raid, but volunteered because there was an available plane without a pilot.

Awards Holmes holds include the Silver Star, DFC with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Pre-Pearl Harbo Yellow Ribbon, British DFC, French Croix de Guerre, Presidential Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster, European Theater Ribbon with Three Stars, American Theater Ribbon with one Star, China- Burma-India Ribbon, European Theater of Operations with three Stars, WWII Victory Medal.

When Col. R.C. Lehnhausen, was notified that Holmes would be given this honor, he wrote in part:

"He skillfully recovered his plane from a deadly spin, the result of battle damage, although seriously wounded. As a result of his bravery and aerial flying talent he saved the crew and his rugged B-24 (Victory Ship). On this occasion his uncommon courage was recognized by three military forces. He was given the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart by the U.S., the British Distinguished Flying Cross by the English and the Croix de Guerre by the French."

Before he could complete his final exams at North Texas State College in Denton, Holmes went into the Army Air Corps, later known as the U.S. Air Force, May 14, 1941. He was given only three hours notice to get to basic training. His younger sister, Mary Ruth, later picked up his diploma for him.

Holmes had always wanted to fly, and he is often quoted as saying he joined the service to learn how to fly but did not know he was going to be shot at. When a friend once asked him what he considered his greatest accomplishment as a WWII pilot, his reply was that in all his flying he never lost a crew member.