LOCAL WORLD WAR II VETERAN, FRENCH LEGION OF HONOUR RECIPIENT LEON THIEL DIES

  

A distinguished World War II veteran of Washington County has died.

Leon Thiel died Thursday at the age of 95.

Thiel was drafted at age 18 in 1943, while still a senior at Brenham High School, to serve in the U.S. Army.  He fought during the famous Battle of the Bulge and was captured as a prisoner of war, enduring harsh conditions at German prison camps.

Thiel was liberated in 1945 and returned to Fort Sam Houston, where he was hospitalized for over a year before returning home to Brenham to work as a carpenter and custom home builder.

In 2019, Thiel was honored by the Consul General of France in Houston, receiving the French Legion of Honour.  Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Legion of Honour is the highest French order of merit for military personnel and civilians.

Thiel was also believed to the last living member of the 82 charter members of Brenham VFW Post 7104.  The post mustered on May 2, 1946, shortly after the end of World War II.

Visitation will be held Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Memorial Oaks Chapel.  Funeral services will also be held at Memorial Oaks Chapel on Wednesday at 11 a.m.