Photos: Sir Ken Bailey Celebrated on His 98th
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Crowning glory: Tables at the Legion post were set with red clothes and golden crowns. The paper crowns featured pictures of Ken Bailey as a boy and as a young soldier. The royalty theme — he sat on a jeweled throne — was inspired by Bailey being awarded a French Legion of Honor Medal in 2015. Those selected for the medal are appointed to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor. Francoise Hollande, then the president of France, wrote to Bailey that he was being honored “for your contribution to the liberation of our country.”
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
A crowd waits quietly at the Helderberg American Legion Post 977 in Altamont Saturday afternoon, as a blindfolded Ken Bailey, of Voorheesville, his back to the camera —his vest proclaiming “Fourth Cavalry” — waits to be seated on his throne. The party, with two cakes, was to celebrate Bailey’s 98th birthday.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
“Prepared and Loyal”: Ken Bailey greets his many admirers. Bailey fought in World War II, earning five major Battle Stars and a Bronze Star. He trained on motorcycles and ended up driving officers in an armored car. Today, he rides on a motorcycle with the Patriot Guard Riders, escorting others on Honor Flights and marking solemn occasions like funerals. Describing the Battle of the Bulge, Bailey said earlier, “We never ran out of gas or ammunition but we ran out of food.” The American soldiers lived for weeks on black bread and hunted deer as they watched out for food that was booby-trapped to explode, he said.