CENTENARIAN SALUTED; WWI VETERAN GETS FRENCH ACCOLADE.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer

At 100, George H. Bell's memory has faded over the years, along with his hearing and eyesight, but one part of his life that remains clear is his time in the trenches during World War I.

A lifetime later, the country he helped defend is remembering that era, too.

Bell is being honored by the French government - as are the surviving veterans from the ``war to end all wars'' - with the Legion of Honor, one of that country's highest accolades.

Family and friends, and a few hundred schoolchildren, celebrated the award - and Bell's 100th birthday - Monday at Madrona Elementary School in Thousand Oaks.

``It's nice to be recognized,'' said an overwhelmed Bell whose tears had subsided for the moment. ``Such a lot of us, it took years to recognize.''

The French government actively has been pursuing foreign soldiers like Bell who were part of the Allied troops that defended France during World War I. Most of those eligible for the honor are centenarians.

The French Consulate in Los Angeles estimates that there are about 2,000 veterans still living in the United States, including a Sherman Oaks man who was honored during Veterans Day ceremonies last week at the consulate.

``The French have always been very grateful for what the Americans have done for us,'' said Yo-Jung Chen, a vice consul in Los Angeles, who said the French government began the campaign last year in hopes of honoring the vets ``before they fade away.''

Sitting center stage in the school auditorium and tapping his feet to the children's singing of ``Happy Birthday,'' Bell had to wipe his eyes from time to time during the celebration.

His daughter, former area school Principal Margaret Badoud Thompson, told the children about her father's time in war, when there were few of the military advances of today and soldiers simply hunkered down in ditches and the fighting was frequently hand to hand.

She told them about the food he ate, a diet of rice, raisins and bread pudding, which the white-haired man refuses to stomach to this day.

``Think of all the young men who fought for freedom in the wet and cold for you,'' Thompson told the schoolchildren.

Bell, who fought for the British Army and moved to the United States during the Depression, went on to become a department store manager and shop owner in Michigan, rarely speaking of the war years until they were well behind him, his daughter said.

As for advice for future soldiers heading to war, Bell had only a few words to share Monday: Stay out of it.

Now that he has hit 100, Bell said he envisioned few changes for his life at his daughter's home in Thousand Oaks, where he moved recently after his second wife died.

How he planned to spend the next years: ``Keep on doing what I'm doing,'' he said.

There were accolades Monday from Mayor Michael Markey, City Councilwoman Judy Lazar and school Superintendent Jerry C. Gross, all sending their congratulations to the man whose time in the service they knew mostly from history books. Some 88,000 foreigners are now recipients of the French honor that was established by Napoleon in 1802 as a way to honor those not among the nobility for their military service.

One of the high points of the event was the comments by pupil Carly Bracco, one of Bell's 14 great-grandchildren, which left the veteran reaching out to the child with affection.

``I'm just really proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself,'' said the sneaker-wearing fifth-grader who shared center stage with her elder. ``I'm sure everybody else thinks that, too.''

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PHOTO (Color) Thousand Oaks resident George H. Bell, 100, a World War I veteran, has received France's Legion of Honor.

David Sprague/Daily News