CHIÈVRES, Belgium – Léonce Descamps, a Belgian Resistance fighter during World War II and resident of Neufvilles, Belgium, received the Order of St. Michael Sept. 25, 2021 for her actions during World War II.
At 16 years old in 1944, Léonce Descamps became an elite liaison agent for the Belgian Resistance and Secret Army during World War II. Her efforts included delivering messages, ammunition, weapons, and explosives to the Allies to aid them in their defeat of Germany.
“Léonce Descamps was a young woman nearby who took it upon herself, who risked her life and joined part of the Belgian Resistance,” said Col. James Yastrzemsky, U.S. Army Garrison Benelux commander, during the award presentation. “She particularly counted the number of aircraft landing and departing in this airfield. And then she shared that information, that key intelligence, with Allied forces at a great risk to her life.”
At 93 year old, Léonce Descamps accepted the Order of St. Michael, at Chièvres Air Base, where she had collected intelligence as a teenager. Yastrzemsky awarded Descamps the Order of St. Michael as part of a distinguished visitor reception at the Chièvres Air Fest. The award recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the promotion of Army Aviation. The archangel St. Michael is the embodiment of courage, justice and gallantry, which Descamps embodies.
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