Dr. John Kerner is an unlikely war hero. He is 88 years old, slight of build and soft of voice. He smiles easily and has a firm but gentle handshake. And he hates everything associated with war. And yet, there he was more than 60 years ago, driving through German lines to bring medical supplies to an Army unit surrounded by the enemy. Performing surgery in a makeshift tent after dark with oil lamps for light. Cutting off shattered limbs. Watching young soldiers die because they were too shot up or blown up to save.

Kerner was awarded two Bronze Stars and a host of lesser awards for his service in World War II. His most prized possession was a Combat Medic Badge, which is usually given to medics who live with the soldiers in the dirt and are the first line of help when someone is shot.

The doc was an officer, a trained surgeon, but he spent a lot of time under fire, alongside the medics who brought men to him on stretchers.

He did not win the war all by himself, but a lot of people went on to live long lives because he was in Europe in the aftermath of D-Day, and all through the bloody fighting for France, including the savage Battle of the Bulge.

The French government considers him a hero, too. Kerner was one of seven American veterans of World War II who were recently awarded the French Legion of Honor for helping save France from the Nazis.

The new president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, delivered the medals and the kiss on each cheek typical in France during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in November.

The men were chosen as representatives of the veterans who fought in World War II. Sarkozy, a pro-American Frenchman, said he wanted to honor U.S. servicemen for their role in saving France.

"If there is peace in Europe today, it is because of you," he said during the ceremony. "You did your duty, and we will never forget what you did for France."

And so Kerner now has another award. This one has a red ribbon and a medal that resembles a cross. He keeps it in a box in his very tidy study, next to the diplomas and medical books.

"I'm a physician, and when you get to my age, you get all sorts of rewards and trophies," Kerner said. "It's like getting the gold watch at retirement. But this was entirely different. This was very exciting."

What makes the story even more interesting is Kerner's medical specialty. He is an obstetrician and gynecologist. Not exactly the kind of training necessary for a combat medic, but in the middle of World War II, the government didn't much care what you knew, as long as you could handle a scalpel and wrap a bandage.

"I got a lot of funny looks from people when I told them what my specialty was," he said.