Overstreet accepted the title of "Chevalier" at the ceremony Tuesday.

Photos by ERIC BRADY The Roanoke Times

Bill Overstreet receives a Legion of Honor medal from French Ambassador Pierre Vimont on Tuesday at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford. "Today we are honoring a true hero," Vimont said. Overstreet was a pilot during World War II.

BEDFORD -- Calling Roanoker Bill Overstreet a "legend," France's ambassador to the United States on Tuesday pinned a Legion of Honor medal -- the Gallic nation's highest distinction -- on the 88-year-old during a ceremony at the National D-Day Memorial.

The former World War II fighter pilot's exploits, including his flying beneath the arches of the Eiffel Tower while chasing a German aircraft, exemplify the kind of "true heroism and willing sacrifice" the Legion of Honor was created to exalt, Ambassador Pierre Vimont told the crowd that had gathered for the ceremony.

"Today we are honoring a true hero, a legend indeed," Vimont said. He added that the Legion of Honor, established by Napoleon in 1802, is "the sign of my country's exceptional recognition of Captain Overstreet's heroic contribution to the liberation of France."

Overstreet was a young man when he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces' 357th Fighter Group, headquartered in Leiston, England. As a pilot of a P-51C Mustang that he dubbed the "Berlin Express," he flew more than 100 missions during the war, was shot down three times and was captured once but escaped.

"All the years I've known him, we've been trying to get Bill to write a book," said longtime friend Lloyd Ramsey, a retired Army major general. "He won't do it."

Overstreet, known for his modesty, shyly accepted the title of "Chevalier" in the Legion of Honor, along with the congratulations of many of his friends. "If I said 'thank you,' it wouldn't be enough," he said, but then added, "What more than 'thank you' do you need?"

Though Overstreet's flights were "some of the most heroic actions that we have ever heard of," Vimont said, the one the Roanoker is perhaps best known for was his pass beneath the arches of the Eiffel Tower in Paris while in pursuit of a German Messerschmitt Bf 109G.

Overstreet was hot on the tail of the Messerschmitt when his German foe, attempting to lure him into the sights of German anti-aircraft gunners on the ground, sped beneath the Eiffel Tower, Vimont recounted. "But you are not afraid of anything," he said, looking at Overstreet. "This breathtaking maneuver is not enough to stop you from following right behind the enemy plane."

After the two fighter planes sped away from the tower, Overstreet shot the Messerschmitt down, Vimont said. He added that he hoped Overstreet would "finally get to Paris and France under different circumstances."