|
LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- Seventy-one years
after their World War II service in the Army Air Forces, identical
twin brothers , retired Air Force Reserve Majs. Raymond "Glenn"
Clanin and Russell "Lynn" Clanin, received the French government's
highest distinction, the Legion of Honor medal.
During an
intimate award ceremony December 2, 2015 with family and friends at
the Schriever Space Complex of the Space and Missile Systems Center,
the brothers were honored by Maj. Gen. Robert D. McMurry, Jr., the
SMC vice commander, and Christophe Lemoine, the French consul
general in Los Angeles.
|
December 2, 2015 - Maj. Gen. Robert D. McMurry Jr., the Space and Missile Systems Center vice commander, addresses the audience as Christophe Lemoine, the French consul general in Los Angeles, prepares to present identical twin brothers and retired Air Force Reserve Majs. Russell “Lynn” Clanin and Raymond “Glenn” Clanin
with the French government's highest distinction for their military
service as World War II veterans, the Legion of Honor medal. (Image
created by USA Patriotism! from USAF photo by Van De Ha)
|
"On behalf of Los Angeles Air Force Base, I'm
particularly proud for our ability to host this event,”
McMurry said. “The Legion of Honor has been bestowed upon
quite a number of World War II veterans. It's a reminder of
the service that they performed and a reminder of the ties
that we have between our countries that go back to the
Revolutionary War with our first ally.
"We have here
two identical twins who married twins. At times, piloted the
same aircraft, ‘Flak-Bait,' which currently is being
restored by the Smithsonian, and today, over 70 years later,
they are getting identical medals ... which seems
appropriate to me," McMurry said. "We're proud to be a part
of the ceremony."
The Clanin brothers flew the Martin
B-26 Marauder named Flak-Bait on several missions with the
449th Bombardment Squadron, 322nd Bomb Group, known as "The
Annihilators," while stationed in Beauvais, France. Glenn
completed 26 missions while Lynn completed 21 missions in
the twin-engine medium bomber.
Flak-Bait completed
207 operational missions: 202 bombing runs and five decoy
runs, representing the largest number of operational
missions of any American aircraft during WWII. The aircraft
is on display in the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at
the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
"Attending a ceremony for the Legion of Honor is always
a very special moment and always a very touching moment.
It's even more special and even more touching today because
we honor two brothers that have been tied together all their
lives and that are with us together today," Lemoine said.
"It is also a special moment because of the times after the
attacks in Paris makes us think that we should really not
forget the achievement of these men for democracy, which is
still something we have to fight for.
"So it's a very
special day for me as the consul general of France in Los
Angeles, because I'm here to express the gratitude of the
people of France to all Americans and allied veterans of the
Second World War and especially, two exceptional people,
Raymond ‘Glenn' Clanin and Russell ‘Lynn' Clanin. As young
men, they left their homes to fight and liberate not only
France, but the whole European continent and defend
democracy and human rights," Lemoine said.
After the
war, Lynn moved to California and in 1948 married his wife
Elyn in a joint ceremony with his brother Glenn who married
Elyn's sister, Carolyn. In their civilian lives, the
brothers lived next to each other for 10 years in Manhattan
Beach, California, working in their dry cleaning business
until the Korean War.
At that point, Lynn
transitioned into aircraft manufacturing and in 1960 moved
to Concord, California, where he worked in real estate
before eventually retiring in 1978 as a service
representative from the local water district. He remained in
the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a major in 1983. Lynn and
his late wife Elyn's family include two sons, two
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
After
Lynn moved up north, Glenn worked in the savings and loan
industry where he retired in 1985. He also remained in the
Air Force Reserve, retiring as a major in 1983. Glenn
currently serves as adjutant for Veterans of Foreign Wars
Post 2075 in Hawthorne, California. He and his wife Carolyn
still reside in Manhattan Beach and their family includes
two daughters, two grandchildren and five
great-grandchildren.
"Their accomplishments during
the war are a vibrant reminder of the deep friendship
between the United States and France,” Lemoine told the
audience. “A friendship bound in blood and hardships, ever
since the War of Independence.
“From the glorious
days of Yorktown to the green battlefields of
Ch�teau-Thierry; from the beaches of Normandy to the
mountains of Afghanistan, our countries have been fighting
together, side by side,” he continued. “And freedom is a
gift that doesn't come free. It often requires determination
and sacrifices. And once again, following the recent
terrorist attacks in Paris, we are so very grateful for our
American friends who have shown and continue to show their
immense support and sympathy for the French people and I
would like to thank you all for that."
Turning his
attention directly to the 92-year-old brothers seated in
front of the audience with the U.S. and French flags as a
backdrop, Lemoine addressed the two veterans personally.
"Dear gentlemen, the French would never forget that you
helped restore their freedom,” he said. “Your courage and
your dedication is an example to us all. You're examples of
'the greatest generation,' which faced the despair and
deprivation of the Great Depression, went on to fight for
liberty and freedom during the second world war, rebuilt
Europe and Japan and invented a freer and more democratic
world after the war. You remind us that, no matter how great
the challenge, it can be met when honest men and women stand
up with determination and courage.”
Upon the
conclusion of the formal presentation, the brothers regaled
the audience with a few remembrances and war stories,
notably an extremely close-up aerial photo of the Eiffel
Tower and how they purchased a camera without any money.
|
A vintage photo of retired Air Force Reserve Majs. Raymond “Glenn”
Clanin and Russell “Lynn” Clanin during training in the Aviation
Cadet program, prior to receiving their pilot wings in August 1944
at Ellington Field, Texas. Seventy-one years later, the 92-year-old
twin brothers are recipients of the French government's highest
distinction for their military service as World War II veterans, the
Legion of Honor medal. (Courtesy photo by U.S. Army Air Forces, AAF
Training Command)
|
"If you all saw that picture of the Eiffel Tower on the
screen, I took that picture. We were buzzing the Eiffel
Tower. I was in the right pilot's seat," Lynn sheepishly
admitted. "I wouldn't have got that close to the Eiffel
Tower because I didn't really want to go to jail. But I took
the picture."
"I had contacted a guy that had been
over there before, and he told me, 'Don't take money, take
cigarettes. That's the rate of exchange in Paris,'” Glenn
explained. “We loaded the top of our footlocker full of
cigarettes at 5 cents a carton. When we went to Paris on our
first pass, we took in 10 packs of cigarettes with us and we
found a camera shop that was in business. We went into the
back room and made a trade with the guy, 10 cartons of
cigarettes for a nice camera and 10 rolls of film that we
took all those pictures with. We saved a lot of money that
way."
The National Order of the Legion of Honor is an
order of distinction first established by Napol�on Bonaparte
in 1802. It is the highest decoration bestowed in France.
Foreign nationals who have served France or the ideals it
upholds may receive a distinction from the Legion of Honor.
To be awarded the medal, a service member must be nominated
and had risked their life during WWII fighting in one of the
four main campaigns of the Liberation of France: Normandy,
Provence, Ardennes, or Northern France.
By James Spellman Jr., Space and Missile Systems Center Public Affairs
Air Force News Service
Copyright 2015
Comment on this article |
