Shirley Mary Guidry Inducted into Order of Living Legends
On 10 August 2026 Shirley Mary Guidry celebrated his 101st birthday and was inducted into the Order of Living Legends by Warren Perrin at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Home in Jennings, Louisiana.
Shirley is the last living combat veteran in the Guédry family and one of the last two living combat veterans from World War II who spoke Cajun/Acadian French and used his language during the war to assist the Allied troops.
Here is the text of the Order of Living Legends Induction speech:
A native of Rayne, LA, Shirley Guidry is one of the last surviving Acadian combat veterans of World War II and the last surviving World War II veteran of the Guidry family. Born into a Louisiana French-speaking household, he spoke only French as a child and did not learn English until entering school at six years of age. At age 18, Guidry enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 244th Engineer Combat Battalion. He was deployed to England and later to France in late 1944. As the only French speaker in his unit, he frequently served as an interpreter between American soldiers and the local population. During the European campaign, his unit served in the Battle of the Bulge, crossed the Rhine River into Germany, and ultimately advanced to the Elbe River. Following Germany's surrender, the battalion was tasked with supervising hundreds of German prisoners of war. Today, at 101 years of age, Guidry continues to inspire those around him. He remains active, enjoys Cajun dancing, and is known for sharing stories of Louisiana's French heritage and his experiences during World War II. He currently resides at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Home in Jennings where he remains remarkably independent and continues to walk daily. Through his distinguished military service, preservation of Louisiana French culture and decades of selfless community ministry, Shirley M. Guidry has brought great honor to his family, his community and the Acadian people of Louisiana.
In August 2025 Shirley Guidry was inducted into the Les Guédry et Petitpas d'Asteur Circle of Distinction. You may read the text of his Induction Certificate at: Shirley Guidry's Induction to Les Guédry et Petitpas d'Asteur Circle of Distinction
A wonderful 38-minute video of Shirley's life as told primarily by Shirley himself through old videos made over the years is "Shirley Guidry - A Blessed Man". It can be accessed on YouTube:
