Wednesday May 8, Jacques Bouchard, who will celebrate his 100th birthday on June 16, was decorated with gold on the occasion of May 8.
Volunteering in the national navy at the age of 17 in 1941, he joined the Saint-Mandrier foam school. Demobilized in November 1943 after the scuttling of the French fleet in the harbor of Toulon, he was requisitioned by the STO (compulsory labor service) to work in an arms factory in East Prussia, until the arrival of the Red Army in 1944.
Back in France and reassigned in 1945, Jacques Bouchard embarked for Indochina in 1948. He works as a mechanic on the battleship Jean-Bartthe cruiser Jeanne D’Arc and the opinion Robert-Giraud…, before ending his career on 1er June 1965 with the rank of chief petty officer.
Frigate Captain Frédéric highlighted “a life rich in adventure and dedication, a path that took him across the oceans of the world, a rare man in the service of the nationnot “.
On May 8, five gold medals were awarded to Jacques Bouchard: those of the André Maginot National Federation, the National Military Medal Mutual Aid Society, the Federation of Associations of Sailors and Sailor Veterans (Famac), the National Union of Retired Non-Commissioned Officers (Unsor) and the Friends of the Gendarmerie.
