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Skylake resident Andy Negra waves from the field between the 4th and 5th innings of the Braves game against Houston Astros in Atlanta.
A 98-year-old WWII veteran, Andy Negra, a resident of Skylake, was honored Aug. 19 at Truist Park in Atlanta, during the Atlanta Braves game.
In conjunction with “Keep the Spirit of 45 Alive” and VJ Day which was Aug. 14, Andy Negra was recognized on the field between the fourth and fifth innings.
VJ Day, Aug. 14, is the day in 1945 that President Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally. The “Keep the Spirit of 45 Alive” coalition is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Greatest Generation – the men and women who endured the Great Depression, fought WWII, then turned to rebuilding the world.
Negra was a Sergeant and served under General George S. Patton in the 128th Armored Field Artillery Battalion . In June 2019, the Consulate General of France came to the Skylake Clubhouse to decorate Negra with the Legion of Honor, France's highest merit. According to the consulate's press release, Sergeant Negra began his service in the summer of 1943. In July 1944, he landed at Utah Beach in Normandy with the Army’s 6th Armored Division. He fought in the Cotentin Peninsula, then across western France before turning east to the German border. North of Metz, the 6th Armored Division participated in the Battle of the Bulge, crossed the Siegfried Line and helped free Allied prisoners of war and the concentration camp at Buchenwald, then took Leipzig.