VETERAN RECEIVES TOP FRENCH AWARD

Veteran Receives Top French Award

Lithuanian born Alex Polowin went off to war at 17 after watching his mother cry over the news from Europe. Now, France is marking his contribution.

In the early morning of June 9, 1944, three days after the Allies' D-Day invasion of Europe, Alex Polowin was aboard HMCS Huron when it ran into a flotilla of German destroyers. The battle lasted all day, but he and the rest of the ship's crew put all the destroyers out of commission, saving thousands of lives.

Now, 60 years later, Mr. Polowin has learned he will be awarded the Legion of Honour for his actions, a high military and civilian honour given by France.

"I'm quite thrilled about it" he said this week. "Had I gotten it 50 years ago, (the excitement) would've worn off by now."

Mr. Polowin's award may seem late in coming, but the French government has been marking the 60th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy by tracking down veterans who were involved in the historic battle.

He isn't the only Canadian to receive the French honour. Ten men received the Legion of Honour in 2004, including Ottawa author and D-Day veteran George Blackburn.

Mr. Polowin, who left the Royal Canadian Navy after the war as an able-bodied seaman, has also received the Atlantic Star, the France-Germany bar, and the Russian Commemorative Medal for his work protecting merchant ships that sailed to Russia during what waqs known as the Murmansk Run.

But this award is special to the 80 year old semi-retired insurance broker. His daughter-in-law is French and he has two grandchildren who were born in France. "It makes me more closely attached to France in their eyes," he said.

Mr. Polowin enlisted in the navy at 17, still underage, but he was volunteering for a cause. The Lithuanian born man kept hearing that his relativesw were being massacred by the Nazis and he feared an invasion of North America.

"Watching your mother cry when she gets the news, it does things to you," he said. "I didn't want the same thing to happen in Canada. I was a youngster, that's how I thought. But I'm glad I did it."

In good physical shape, (he still lifts weights and jogs regularly), Mr. Polowin spends his free time speaking to schools as part of the Memory Project, an educational program that connects war veterans with students and classrooms across the country.

"Canada is worth fighting for, this is what I talk about," he said. "I feel that if I can influence kids to care for Canada more, that gives me a lot of satisfaction."

"I'm very proud I was able to make a contribution to world peace at the time."

From an article printed in the Ottawa Citizen, December 28, 2005 and reprinted in the HMCS Huron Association March, 2006 newsletter.