90-year-old retired fighter pilot to be awarded French Legion of Honor Medal today

SAN DIEGO - A 90-year-old retired fighter pilot from Rancho Bernardo will receive the French Legion of Honor Medal today for his service during World War II.

Col. Steven Pisanos is scheduled to receive the medal during a ceremony at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park, according to museum officials.

The medal, created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, is the highest honor bestowed by the French government.

While returning from a bomber escort mission on May 5, 1944, during which he is credited with shooting down four enemy aircraft, Pisanos was forced to crash-land his P-51B Mustang a...