Building renamed in honor of war hero

American flags lined the street Saturday in front of Fond du Lac’s American Legion Post 75, welcoming a soldier home.

Neon beer signs glowed in the windows of the gathering place on Fond du Lac Avenue known to generations of military veterans, and a soft light parted rain clouds as James Megellas, 91, stood to speak.

The front of his tailored suit flanked with medals and his head thick with waves of silver hair, the 91-year-old World War II legend said there is no greater honor than recognition from peers.

“When the heart is full, the tongue is heavy,” Megellas said first in Spanish, then translated for the crowd gathered at the ceremony dedicating the Veterans Memorial Building, 500 Fond du Lac Ave., to the local war hero.

Judy Kollmansberger of Eden sat among the families of veterans and the veterans themselves, graying men wearing smartly creased caps. They nodded in unison as Megellas spoke of the indescribable bond between those who braved battles side by side and lived to tell about it.

“I have a son, a Marine who just got back from Iraq,” Kollmansberger said. “It meant a lot when I met Jim this morning and he gave me a big hug.”

Stellar reputation

Born in Fond du Lac, Megellas gained a stellar reputation for his actions in World War II as the most decorated officer in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division. Among his most notable battles were in the Italian mountains near Venafro, the beach landing at Anzio, the jump into Holland (Operation Market Garden), the famous crossing of the Waal River in Nijmegen/Holland under heavy German machine gun fire and the Battle of the Bulge.

His war memoir “All the Way to Berlin,” is said to be one of the best accounts of what war at the level of an infantryman was like — a firsthand account of an American soldier risking his life for freedom.

Megellas’ hand shook as he held a perfect salute for the color guard carrying flags, but he stood poised with grace as he spoke about his life growing up in Fond du Lac during an era of patriotic pride.

He recalled numerous parades held in the city to honor veterans and the mobs of citizens who attended, a sea of flags wildly waving. He told of the soldiers who returned to Fond du Lac after the war, some without the buddies they enlisted with. As was tradition, most all of them joined the American Legion.

“Very high on their lists was continuing to serve their country and their community, and keeping that bond alive between them,” Megellas said.

By way of introduction. U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, noted that Megellas was being honored, not for his 25 medals, but “for what the medals represent: achieving victory and maintaining freedom.”

Legislation introduced

In January of 2007, Petri introduced a bill(H.R. 795) in the U.S. House of Representatives requesting that Megellas be awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts of valor during the Jan. 28, 1945 Battle of the Bulge.

The bill is presently in the Committee on Armed Services awaiting future action.

Recently a new bill(S.3232) has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas.

City Manager Tom Herre, himself a military veteran, said Megellas’ name on the building will serve as a daily source of inspiration.

“As we pass by, it will bring to mind the image of Americans at their best,” Herre said.

Other speakers included veteran of three wars: Marcus Oksa, Roger Immel, County Executive Allen Buechel and state Rep. John Townsend, R-Fond du Lac.

Megellas, who resides in Colleyville, Texas, was accompanied by his wife, Carole, and said he is often asked to share his thoughts about the ongoing war in Iraq.

“People ask me what if the cause isn’t justified or it isn’t a right war. Well, soldiers don’t question. They do what they are told and they do their job so that you have the freedom to question. If you don’t agree with a policy, you have the right to express yourself. Personally, I say it’s my country, and history will prove whether we were right or wrong.”