By JON BAKER

CENTRAL FALLS — Fact is, Leo Heroux loves to talk, and most of his sentences contain reminiscences both splendid and tragic.

On Tuesday afternoon, standing in front of Mayor Charles Moreau, some good ol’ friends and more than a few media types inside City Council chambers, Heroux — an 84-year-old Central Falls native and World War II veteran — didn’t know what to say after Moreau bestowed upon him the “Croix de Guerre World War II (with palm)” medal.
“I finally got it, and I’m glad,” he said with guarded emotion. “This is something I’ll never forget.”
Tim Gray, a close family friend and former Ch. 10 sportscaster who currently owns Tim Gray Media Inc. of Providence, stated it was a special award from the French government which honors Americans who fought the Axis — that is, Germany — in World War II.
“There’s a group in France called the United States Normandie Association, and it nominated Leo for the honor; it was because of the role he played during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944,” stated Gray, who creates documentaries of World War II veterans, and has filmed one on Heroux himself.
“They knew he couldn’t get over there to accept it, so they sent it this way. I know he’s very pleased by it.”
Nearly 64 years and one month ago, Heroux -- a Private First Class of the First Army’s Fifth Engineer (Amphibious) Special Brigade -- landed at Omaha Beach. He claimed just a few weeks ago that he couldn’t erase the memory from his mind.
“I remember looking in the water, and seeing all the dead bodies floating by; and, when we got to the beach, all the bodies laying there,” he recalled then. “There was blood everywhere -- in the sand, in the water,” he added. “It was one gruesome sight, an image I’ll never forget.
“I recall a guy with us (in Company A), and he picked up a small mine once he reached the beach,” he added. “He ended up dropping it, and it landed at such an angle that it blew up into his face. There were pieces of his body all over the place.”
If there was a positive side to his tenure in France, just days after landing, he met his wife-to-be, Anne-Marie Broeckx, a Colleville farmer’s daughter and attractive school teacher.
After the war, he married Anne-Marie in Central Falls, then moved back to a village not far from Omaha Beach to raise their family.
Three of his four children still reside there.
In an unsigned letter, a French official wrote, “I wish you a very good reception and a lot of joy … I am sending my best congratulations and to let you know we are with you … We can not forget the sacrifice that the Americans have done for us, and that we have found our liberty. Thank you.”
It was back in the summer of 2006 when Heroux and three other Rhode Island-born veterans returned to Normandy for a reunion tour of sorts. At that time, he met the Mayor of Gourberville.
“I showed him my discharge papers, and he said to me, ‘Do you know you’re eligible for the award?’ and I didn’t,” Heroux explained. “Boy, was I glad! I never thought I’d be wearing this. This is a real thrill for me.”
Just before he pinned the medal on Heroux’s suit jacket, Moreau stated, “Leo, it’s a great honor to present this to you,” and then thanked him for his service to his country. In the background, former World War II vets Wilson Delasanta (Army) and Frank Chomka (Navy) of Cumberland and Richard Fazzio (Navy) of Woonsocket applauded their long-time pal.
All were in Normandy on that fateful day, and visited it with Heroux in 2006.
“When I woke up (Tuesday) morning, I thought, ‘This is the day; I’m going to get the award from the French government,’” he noted. “It means so much to me. I think I’m the first in Central Falls to receive the ‘Croix de Guerre.’”
Said Moreau: “We received it in the mail about a month ago, and -- when we did -- I called Leo,” Moreau said. “He was so excited. He said he was so happy that it finally came to fruition.
“I’ve known Leo a long time, since I was with the Housing Authority, and that’s going back a while,” he added. “It was a phenomenal honor to present that medal to a war hero, one who lives just down the street.”
When asked how he would celebrate, Heroux -- who lives on the eighth floor of Forand Manor -- just said he wanted to do so over coffee with his buddies Delasanta, Chomka and Fazzio.
With that, he walked down the stairs and across the street to the Dunkin’s Donuts shop, and reminisced some more.