At 90, WWII vet is honored by Legion

Gilbert Horn sat in his chair at the recreation room in Northern Montana Care Center as friends helped him put his put his traditional headdress on.

“I’m going to look like Mickey Mouse,” he quipped.

Everyone laughed.

Horn has spent his 90 years with a sense of humor.

Today, Horn was once again the center of attention, not for his humor, but for his courageous service in World War II.

American Legion District 2 Commander Jon Monteaux was at the care center to present a certificate of appreciation to Horn for his service in World War II.

Horn was wounded while serving with the famed Mercer’s Marauders in Burma, during some of the toughest times of the war.

Since then, he has been active in American Legion Post 110 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars at Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.

Monteaux spends a lot of time these days going from one Legion post to another in his sprawling district from Saco to Chester and south to Big Sandy. He hands out certificates to World War II veterans.

“We are losing more of them every day,” he said. “It is important to say thank you.”

He’s also saddened to see more Korean-era veterans die.

Horn, he said, was special.

He saw tough combat against the Japanese in Burma and came home to serve veterans in the Legion and VFW.

“They shot at him,” he said of the Japanese. “But he’s still with us today.”

At 90, Horn said he is still proud of his service so long ago.

“I’m very proud,” he said. “We stopped them from coming to the United States.”

“I was wounded three times,” he said.

“I don’t talk about it,” he said when asked what happened. “I just didn’t duck fast enough.”

It’s not unusual for World War II veterans not to talk about their service, Monteaux said. While they were proud of their service, they don’t dwell on it.

Horn does talk about how pleased he was at the end of the war when he heard the Japanese had surrendered. He was in England; his service in Asia over.

Monteaux praised Horn for his service in the military, his years of work for Fort Belknap reservation and his years as a tribal leader.