Vive l'Antoniou!

Vive l'Antoniou!
French honor for Miller Place's WWII hero

Published in The Village Beacon Record 02/07/2008
By: Kyle Reitan

World War II veteran Anthony J. Antoniou, 84, can still describe every photo and piece of war memorabilia in the album in his bedroom closet.Some of the memories still elicit laughter from the former paratrooper: a photo of a girl he knew during the war, or a 1940s black-and-white shot of his younger self, drink in hand. Others still upset him.No stranger to military honors, Antoniou will soon add another to his impressive collection: Last month, he received a letter from the Ambassade de France aux Etats-Unis, the French embassy to the United States, notifying him he has been named a chevalier, or knight, of the Legion of Honor.The Legion of Honor was founded more than 200 years ago by Napoleon Bonaparte to acknowledge services rendered to France.Antoniou served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945. He went to jump school in Fort Benning, Georgia "to learn how to jump and all kinds of stuff." Turning a page in the album, he found a few pieces of the parachute that landed him in Sicily and Italy in 1943.Enclosed in a case hanging on the wall of his living room are the 25 or so combat medals he earned during the war. Antoniou doesn't recall the exact number, but they include a Silver Star, five Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, an Occupation Medal, two PresidentialCitations and many others.The letter from the Ambassade de France aux Etats-Unis was read aloud on a recent Sunday during Mass at the St. Louis de Montfort Church, where he and his wife Olga sing in the choir. Together, the couple participates in community service activities affiliated with the church. They are also members of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Port Jefferson. As well, Antoniou belongs to veterans organizations such as Fischer-Hewins VFW Post 6249 in Rocky Point.Antoniou recalled how he came by some of his medals. His first jump was at night and the conditions were very windy; he hit a tree while landing and broke his ankle. "That was my firstPurple Heart," he said.The second came after a jump into Italy when Antoniou was accidentally shot in the knee. After the mission in Italy, Antoniou's outfit returned to North Africa for training, then jumped in Normandy as part of the D-Day invasion.Antoniou recalled how his plane was shelled and many soldiers wounded. As one of only four men not hit, he helped the wounded: "We patched them up, gave them a shot of morphine and went back to England."When Antoniou finally did jump into France, he saw three German soldiers shooting at him.He was able to land, take cover behind a tree and get his chute off. He assembled the bazooka he had jumped with, and remained still.Antoniou said the enemy relaxed and walked over toward him. When they came close enough, he fired for effect. Later, Antoniou and others in his group walked to a farmhouse where they found shelter. After the Normandy mission, Antoniou parachuted into Holland.Calling her father a hero, Maria-Alaina Antoniou, one of Antoniou's three adult children, along with Helen and Nicholas, described him as "honorable, honest and giving."Antoniou could not quite fathom why he is receiving France's highest award 60 years later, but said, "It's really fantastic. It's an honor. I didn't expect anything like that."Several years ago, Antoniou and Olga visited Normandy. "The French really treat us better than the rest," Antoniou said. "In Holland too."During a second, civilian trip to Normandy, Antoniou took his son.