WESTPORT —  A 100-year-old Westport man — a World War II Army veteran whose battalion saw action in some of the war’s most ferocious battles across Europe — will be awarded the French Legion of Honor medal next month.

Clayton Chalfant, who also helped to establish a sister city relationship between Westport and Marigny, France, will be presented the prestigious honor during a Town Hall ceremony by the French consul general based in New York.

Attendance at the July 7 ceremony is by invitation-only, according to event organizers.

“We feel it is our duty to thank the heroes who helped liberate our nation during WW II, while we still can,” Damien Laban, France’s acting consul general, said in a statement announcing the award to Chalfant.

“We owe them our freedom, democracy, and way of life,” Laban added.

The Legion of Honor medal represents the award of highest merit presented by the nation of France.

Chalfant was 18 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was deployed with the 3rd Armored Division’s 486th Armored Anti-Aircraft Battalion. His unit’s assignment was to protect Allied forces from aerial attack, as well as to provide direct fire support against enemy infantry, vehicles and fortifications.

Chalfant’s battalion saw action in Normandy, northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and central Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge.

On returning to Westport, Chalfant married Mary Speer, and they recently celebrated their 76th anniversary.

He served as grand marshal of Westport’s 2004 Memorial Day parade.

The Legion of Honor award was created in 1802 by Napoleon as France’s highest national decoration to recognize citizens for outstanding service to the nation.

In 2004, in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of D-Day, then-French President Jacques Chirac decided the medal would be bestowed on American veterans of World War II who fought on French soil.