Henri d'Anselme published two photos and a long text on the social network LinkedIn this Thursday, February 1, reflecting on the ceremony during which he was awarded the Legion of Honor.
In the photos, Henri, dressed in his best suit, is all smiles as his grandfather attaches the badge to the left side of his chest.
Looking at the stars on his sleeve, it is also clear that he is a lieutenant general (2S) in the Army.
In the text associated with the images, Henri declares that receiving the highest French honorary decoration in his turn, at such a young age, is
“something strange, a little unreal”
.
The name of the “backpack hero” of Annecy is among those of the promotion of July 14, 2023. On the morning of June 8, 2023, a man armed with a knife attacked children in the game in a park in the Haute-Savoie prefecture, located on the shores of Lake Annecy.
In a video widely distributed on social networks, Henri, equipped with his backpack as a shield, intervenes between the victims and their assailant, to try to scare him away and thus prevent him from causing more victims.
The man, arrested shortly after by the police, injured a total of four children aged 22 months to 3 years and two adults.
The day after the events, all the media were talking about Henri who was passing through Annecy as part of his “cathedral tour of France”.
Propelled on social networks and on television, it takes advantage of its sudden media coverage to introduce the public to the beauty of cathedrals and attract the attention of the French to the subject of these religious buildings in danger.
“Honor me and commit me”
“What can you say when you receive the Legion of Honor from your grandfather at the age of 25? »
asks Henri in his LinkedIn publication.
He explains that emblematic French figures are decorated with the knight's cross of the national order of the Legion of Honor and that
"such a distinction is usually only awarded to those who can prove at least 20 years of age at the service of the country
,” he continues on the social network.
“Receiving the Legion of Honor honors and commits me
,” he says in his text.
The medal
“honors”
him because he says he doesn’t deserve it.
If he accepts it, it is
“for what it transmits”
, he justifies in his LinkedIn post.
The attack on Annecy and
“its symbolism”
, as well as
“the message of the cathedrals”
that Henry has tried to transmit to the French since, caused
“an unfathomable stir, a sign of a deeper and unstoppable force”
, rejoices -it in the content.
Furthermore, the red ribbon
“commits”
him , because he says he wants to continue the fight for the heritage of cathedrals to
“bring to life the soul of France”
, he continues in his declaration.
“I accept this recognition for what it forces me to experience
,” he adds on LinkedIn.
“In the name of all those who participated in building, directly or indirectly, what I am today.
In the name of all those who stood up to defend the weakest, and who remained in the shadows.
And I promise to remain faithful to it
,” he concluded in his message.