CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — Belgium honored a 101-year-old World War II veteran with the country’s highest honor.

Truman Christian, a Pennsylvania native, served as a machine gunner with the 106th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge. He saw combat in St. Vith in Belgium.

Belgium’s Consul General Filip Vanden Bulcke presents Truman Christian with the Order of Leopold on Wednesday, June 11, 2026, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

Belgium’s Consul General Filip Vanden Bulcke presents Truman Christian with the Order of Leopold on Wednesday, June 11, 2026, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

Belgium’s Consul General Filip Vanden Bulcke presents Truman Christian with the Order of Leopold on Wednesday, June 11, 2026, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Tyler Boland, who documents the lives of WWII veterans, helped arrange with the consulate.

Belgium’s Consul General Filip Vanden Bulcke presents Truman Christian with the Order of Leopold on Wednesday, June 11, 2026, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Tyler Boland, who documents the lives of WWII veterans, helped arrange with the consulate.

Belgium’s Consul General Filip Vanden Bulcke presented Christian with the Order of Leopold, an order of knighthood, on Wednesday in Lower Allen Township.

Tyler Boland, about 80 years Christian’s junior, made the presentation possible after learning that Belgium awards the honor to Allied soldiers who fought to free the country.

Boland travels the country interviewing WWII veterans as part of his “Keeping History Alive” project.

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Fewer than 50,000 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II are still alive. Christian shared his secret to longevity when local leaders came together for his 100th birthday last year.

“I’ve had a lot of them, that’s for sure,” he said. “Keep active, and I think that’s very important. You’ve got to maybe inherit a little DNA or something, but you’ve got to take care of yourself.”

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