Legion of Honor Society

06/11/2026

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZc75S2RSx8/?igsh=MXFiMHNicDVxdTg4bQ==

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

05/14/2026

A well deserved honor to a hero! France will not forget. Thank you for your service Sir Alfred Haworth! What a great day for such a celebration!

02/28/2026

🖤✨ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡
| 𝐄𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐝 | 𝑳'𝑯𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒊𝒓𝒆 (The Black Swallow)

Born in Georgia in 1895, Eugene Bullard fled racial segregation as a teenager and found his true home in France. He fought in the French Foreign Legion, survived the Battle of Verdun, earned the Croix de Guerre, and became the world's first African American military combat pilot, flying over 20 missions with the Lafayette Flying Corps.

When the U.S. entered WWI, he tried to join the American Air Force. He was refused — because he was Black.

But Bullard wasn't done fighting for France. Between the wars, he ran celebrated jazz clubs in Paris and quietly spied for French intelligence, his German-speaking customers never suspecting the American behind the bar understood every word. When the Germans invaded in 1940, he re-enlisted at 44 as a machine gunner, was wounded, and walked hundreds of miles through occupied France to reach safety: the only survivor of his unit.

France never forgot him. In 1954, he rekindled the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. In 1959, de Gaulle made him 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲 𝗹𝗮 𝗟𝗲́𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱'𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿 FOR TWO WARS calling him "un véritable héros français."

When de Gaulle visited New York the following year, he had the FBI track Bullard down. They found this decorated war hero running an elevator at Rockefeller Center. De Gaulle embraced him before 5,000 guests: "All our country is in your debt."

The U.S. only recognized this hero posthumously in 1994 when President Clinton commissioned him as Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, 33 years after his death.

He is buried with full honors in the French War Veterans' section of Flushing Cemetery, Queens, in his French Foreign Legion uniform.

🩸 His motto said it all: “Tout le sang qui coule est rouge" 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑑.
France never forgets.

02/03/2026

🕊️ In Memory of Nicole Hirsh

It is with deep sadness that we honor the memory of Nicole Hirsh, Officier de la Légion d’honneur, and a devoted servant of the French and Franco-American community in the United States.

For more than 30 years, Nicole served on the Board of the ASFLH, as its Secretary and Vice President. Her dedication to France, to the values of the Légion d’honneur, and to those she served was unwavering. She led with integrity, kindness, and quiet strength, always placing service above recognition.

Nicole leaves behind a lasting legacy of commitment, humanity, and friendship. She will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.

Une grande dame s’en est allée…

🖤

12/19/2025

The Society extends its warmest congratulations to Henri Dubarry on receiving the insignia of Chevalier of the National Order of Merit. This richly deserved honor recognizes a lifetime of dedication, service, and unwavering commitment to the French community. Alain Dupuis, Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, and an active member of our Society, pinned the medal on his lifelong friend. Our President, Guy Wildenstein, was one of the speakers.

Bravo, Henri!