Assembly Resolution No. 351

BY: M. of A. Hawley

COMMENDING Eugene D. Dollard upon the occasion of
being awarded France's Legion of Honor Medal

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge
outstanding individuals whose exemplary military service merited
decorations for achievement and commendable service, especially those
soldiers who so valiantly served for the benefit of other peoples and
nations; and

WHEREAS, It is also the intent of this Legislative Body to honor and
pay tribute to those distinguished veterans whose service has been
recognized by the governments of other nations, in appreciation and
gratitude for their contributions to securing or maintaining the freedom
of those lands; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend Eugene D. Dollard upon the occasion of being awarded France's
Legion of Honor Medal; and

WHEREAS, Eugene D. Dollard, a member of the vanishing Greatest
Generation who survived fighting Germans in France during World War II,
will be honored by the Ambassador to France for aiding the liberation of
hundreds of thousands from the grips of the Nazis 77 years ago; and

WHEREAS, By presidential decree of French President Emmanuel Macron,
the Legion of Honor Medal is the highest accolade conferred for military
bravery and service, notably initiated by French Emperor, Napoleon
Bonaparte in 1802; and

WHEREAS, As France's Legion of Honor's distinguished recipient,
Eugene D. Dollard, is in good company, sharing prominence with other
American recipients, including, Generals Dwight David Eisenhower,
Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton, and Admiral Michael Mullen; and

WHEREAS, In 1943, at eighteen years-of-age with one semester at the
University of Notre Dame under his belt, Eugene D. Dollard answered the
call by enlisting in the United States Navy; he endured three months of
grueling training, divided between Sampson Naval Base, Geneva, New York,
Lido Beach, Long Island, and then onto Quonset Point, Rhode Island, for
gunnery school; and

WHEREAS, Assigned to the United States Naval Amphibious Division, he
departed from Hoboken, New Jersey, on the newly commissioned U.S.S.
Henrico; and

WHEREAS, After refitting at Bayonne Naval Supply Depot in New
Jersey, Eugene D. Dollard's ship headed out to Great Britain; in a cat
and mouse game to distract the Germans, his ship constantly moved about
England's and Scotland's harbors including Weymouth, Portsmouth, and
Greenock, preparing and amassing for the greatest armada in history,
June 6, 1944, when Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land
assault on Nazi-occupied France; and


WHEREAS, On D-Day, Eugene D. Dollard and the crew onboard the U.S.S.
Henrico were among numerous ships which sailed through the English
Channel as part of the largest invasion in history, the Storming of
Normandy at Omaha Beach; the U.S.S. Henrico transported General
Eisenhower's 1st Division in the initial wave on Omaha Beach, providing
supporting naval artillery for the landing forces; and

WHEREAS, As he manned twenty-millimeter machine guns aboard the
ship, Eugene D. Dollard vividly remembers the water turning red and the
wholesale slaughter where seven thousand men were killed in the first 24
hours; and

WHEREAS, During the invasion, Eugene D. Dollard was in charge of the
LCVP's or small crafts off the U.S.S. Henrico APA 45; as the Germans
continually fired off the French cliffs hammering the beach and water,
and under aircraft fire, the heroic French Resistance ran to the small
boats to assist; and

WHEREAS, Under a heavy barrage of bullets, Eugene D. Dollard landed
on the beach and dove in the trenches; after crawling out, he dragged
numerous wounded men into the trenches to administer first aid; and

WHEREAS, Upon the conclusion of the battle at Omaha Beach, Eugene D.
Dollard moved to the French colonies of North Africa, Morocco, and Oran,
Algiers; while in the Mediterranean the U.S.S. Henrico was hit,
remaining faintly above water level, and later in Naples, Italy, the
crew picked up General Patton's 3rd Army, delivering the troops to St.
Tropez, and then onto Marseille for Southern France's D-Day Invasion on
August 15, 1944; and

WHEREAS, Eugene D. Dollard was then transferred to the U.S.S.
Chilton for the Pacific tour, island-hopping to the Marshall Islands,
Caroline Islands and onto the chain of the formidable Ryukyu Islands;
and

WHEREAS, In June of 1945, Eugene D. Dollard faced the "Violent
Typhoon of Steel" at Okinawa Island; during the battle, 50,000 Americans
died, and Eugene was wounded; and

WHEREAS, Later, on Awase Beach, Okinawa, Eugene D. Dollard was
assigned the task of overseeing vast supply shipments, including trucks,
tanks, food, jeeps, and weapon carriers; even though the United States
had taken over Okinawa, the Japanese remained a threat and securing the
island proved problematic; and

WHEREAS, Around 1:00 a.m. most mornings, the Japanese would bomb the
island; while in a bunker during one of these raids, Eugene D. Dollard
observed shadowy figures along the beach, and subsequently, crawled out
into the darkness and tackled a Japanese general; and

WHEREAS, With a knife held at his throat, Eugene D. Dollard was able
to wrench the general's arm in a half-nelson move, and turned him over
to the Military Police; and

WHEREAS, After three years of brutal war, Eugene D. Dollard was
honorably discharged, and returned to the United States where he earned

his law degree from the University of Notre Dame; upon graduating, he
took over the family business in Hamlin, New York; and

WHEREAS, Today, at the age of 96, Eugene D. Dollard remains an
active and vital part of his Hamlin community; he maintains several
businesses, attends church every Sunday and enjoys spending time with
his wife Marci; and

WHEREAS, Having exhibited his patriotism both at home and abroad,
Eugene D. Dollard has demonstrated his love for his country and merits
forevermore, the highest respect of his State and Nation; and

WHEREAS, Our Nation's veterans deserve to be recognized, commended
and thanked by the people of the State of New York for their service and
for their dedication to their communities, their State, their Nation,
and to the ideal of freedom throughout the world; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Eugene D. Dollard upon the occasion of being awarded France's
Legion of Honor Medal; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Eugene D. Dollard.