June 1—For most of Ernest Brien’s life, he was a gruff, stoic man. But in recent decades this has changed. With his son-in-law’s gentle encouragement, he began to open up to his family about his heroic past serving in World War II and the Korean War. With that, he softened – and began to share his emotions and connect with his family in a way he had never done before.
A crowd of about 35 people gathered in front of Portland City Hall under sunny skies on Saturday to honor Brien, a Portland native who died in late December at age 103, as he was posthumously awarded France’s highest decoration, the Legion of Honor, for his services in World War II.
The medal, which is awarded to those who have rendered significant public service to France in a civil or military capacity, was presented to Brien’s family by France’s honorary consul in Maine, Alban Maino, and the president of the Alliance Française Maine, Regine Whittlesey.
“This medallion serves as a symbol of our enduring gratitude for the sacrifices he made and the unwavering courage he demonstrated in service to our country,” Maino said. “Through his service, he exemplified the highest values of honor, duty and patriotism.”
A total of 79,000 people were awarded the Legion of Honor. On average, 2,000 French people and 300 foreigners receive the honor each year.
Brien’s time in service was one of bravery. During his 19 years in the army, he helped liberate the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp; he participated in the last major German offensive on the Western Front, the Battle of the Bulge; and put himself directly in harm’s way to protect his platoon, according to his family and U.S. Army documents.
For these moments of valor, he received numerous accolades, including a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
But Brien was a humble man. He got older, but his family didn’t hear these stories. They discovered just a few years ago that he helped liberate a concentration camp, that he was fired upon by machine guns to protect his fellow soldiers, and that he hid in a trench for 21 days straight.
“I was just doing my job,” was always his response when people mentioned how he contributed to the war effort.
But when Brien’s wife died about 15 years ago and he moved in with his daughter and her husband, he started sharing a little more.
Brien’s daughter, Kathleen Giering, credits her husband for this. From the time he moved in with them until the last few months of his life, Brien helped Warren Giering, his son-in-law, manage his and Kathleen’s estate. Together, they built a stone fence, felled trees to heat their home — which is only heated by a wood stove — and tended the perennial beds in Warren’s garden.
“Every day we were working,” Warren said.
During hours together on the tractor or working on the property, Warren would ask Brien questions about his life.
Slowly, he began to open up.
At first, he stayed away from the hardships and pain of war. He avoided talking about his fearlessness and leadership and instead chose to tell funny anecdotes about trading goods and negotiating with other troops.
“He was reluctant to tell everyone how brave he was,” said his grandson Christopher Orr.
But eventually he began to share more about the hardships he faced — and his bravery in the face of danger.
“It was wonderful,” said Kathleen. “Even the bad things were wonderful because he trusted us enough to share those things.”
When Kathleen was young, her father was rude and intimidating.
“He clearly struggled,” Kathleen said.
But at the end of his life he was a different person.
“It was beautiful growth,” she said.
Even when he opened up, he remained humble about his time in the war and didn’t want people to make a big deal about it.
Still, Saturday’s honor would have been meaningful to him, said his granddaughter Erinne Brown.
“He would be very proud of it,” she said.
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