A Very Old Soldier
Jean Thurel served in the Regiment de Touraine from 1716 to 1792, and fought in four wars. First was the War of the Polish Succession, 1733 – 1735, in which he took a musket ball to the chest. He survived to fight again, in the War of the Austrian Succession, 1740 – 1748. Then came the Seven Years War, 1756 – 1763. In the Battle of Minden, 1759, Thurel got sliced and diced by an enemy’s saber, and took seven slashes, including six to the face and head. Then came the American Revolution, when at age eighty three, he crossed the Atlantic with the French army sent to help the Americans. He arrived in time to fight in the final major campaign and battle, which culminated with the surrender of a British army at Yorktown.
Nothing slowed Thurel down. At age eighty eight, his regiment was ordered to make a long march to the French coast. Due to his advanced age, he was offered the opportunity to ride in a carriage. He refused, and marched on foot with his comrades. He remained a private for his entire career – by choice. Offered promotion on numerous occasions, he declined each time. He received the Medallion Des Deux Epees (Two Swords Medal), granted to soldiers who served 24 years, an unmatched three times. In 1804, Napoleon awarded Thurel, then 106-years-old, the National Order of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest award. He continued to serve in the French Army until his death in 1807, aged 108.