12-22-2004, 02:40 AM
Dave Wrote:I believe Beyrle's son was a fairly senior diplomat in Moscow at the end of the Cold War. That could account for the Soviet decorations he received. As I recall, his son made quite the big deal about his father, bring him considerable fame in the USSR in the era of perestroika.
--Dave
It could also be a case of high honors being bestowed on the dwindling number of veterans remaining, in the spirit of honoring the generation as a whole. For example, the OGPW 1985 issue to surviving veterans, France's awarding the Legion of Honor to survivng American veterans who fought in France during WW1 in 1990's. And who knows, maybe some of the combat achievements he performed while he attached himself to that tank battalion would have met the same criteria for similar awards to a Soviet soldier.
The Veteran of Labor seemed unusual, but may have been more appropriate for someone who did not retire from the Soviet military
And yes, I did forget to list the Order of the Red Star --- good attention to detail!
