BRIDGEWATER ­­­— For decades after his honorable discharge in 1945, James Newell kept quiet about his exploits as an Army motor gunner during World War II.

Newell did not tell family and friends that he saw scores of military comrades killed, some frozen in snow across the German countryside. He never mentioned that he rescued a wounded friend by jumping over a fence and into the line of enemy fire. And Newell, now 90, did not talk about how he survived a violent explosion, woke up behind enemy lines with shrapnel wounds to his leg and neck, and captured two German soldiers disguised as Americans.

He will be honored for that soon, however, in a ceremony to accompany an award from the French government that he was given in December.

“I was scared to talk about’’ the war, Newell said in a recent interview, as he flipped through memorabilia at his home in West Bridgewater.

At one point, while he vividly recounted traumatic events that happened 71 years ago, Newell pulled out an old piece of scrap paper, where he once tallied how many members of his Army brigade, the 76th infantry division, died during the war.

By his count: 772.

“I went through hell, but I’m still here,’’ Newell said. “I was one of the lucky ones.’’

On Dec. 4, Newell was awarded one of France’s highest military decorations: the Chevalier rank of the Legion of Honor.

The Chevalier is a sterling medal embossed with Marianne, the French national symbol. A formal presentation ceremony for the award that will include the consul general of France in Boston and some Massachusetts legislators, will take place in the coming months, according to Newell’s family.

Valéry Freland, the consul general, said in a letter that the award was “a sign of France’s infinite gratitude and appreciation’’ of Newell’s wartime heroics and contribution to the efforts of Allied forces.

Domestically, Newell has been recognized with a Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, and Victory Medal. US Representative Stephen F. Lynch, whose district includes Newell’s home of West Bridgewater, has also recommended the veteran for the Silver Star and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

“[Private First Class] James W. Newell is a true American hero,’’ Lynch wrote in a letter endorsing Newell for greater recognition.

Mellisa Leonard, Newell’s granddaughter, said she and her siblings did not know the extent of their grandfather’s valiant feats until 2006. It was then, when Newell’s wife, Margaret, died after 60 years of marriage, that hebegan to open up about his time in the Army.

Newell, who spent much of his postwar life as a water treatment specialist in Brockton, was drafted in the 1940s at age 18 and served for two years in battlefields throughout six European countries, even after he suffered significant injuries.

In 2006, Newell began attending World War II memorials in Washington, D.C., reconnecting with old Army friends, and frequenting the Museum of World War II in Natick.

Two of his grandchildren, Leonard and Ralph Whittemore, later decided to spearhead the effort to document Newell’s war efforts and collect available materials from the Army. Unfortunately, some of Newell’s essential materials were destroyed in a 1973 fire at the Military Personnel Records Center.

Ralph Whittemore, a 42-year-old communications technician from West Bridgewater, said the struggle to accurately document Newell’s war efforts makes awards like the French Chevalier more special.

Whittemore said his grandfather was ecstatic upon receiving the award.

“He called me and said, ‘You won’t believe what I have! You’ve got to come over and see this,’?’’ Whittemore said.

Leonard, a 40-year-old teacher from East Bridgewater, said since Newell’s revived interest in the war, the family has been buying him books and photo albums about the time period.

One thing Newell can’t do, however, is watch war movies.

“It ain’t going to bring back the guys I was with,’’ he said.

Now, however, after his years of keeping mum, Newell’s war stories keep the memory of his fellow soldiers alive, as he lists the people who helped save his life, and remembers he could not save himself.

“All these years and I haven’t forgot a thing,’’ Newell said. “If I was over there, I could tell you where every guy was, where we fought, and where we stayed.’’

He especially remembers General George S. Patton, nicknamed “Old Blood and Guts,’’ who had been his commander for a time in Europe. Newell said the two maintained an amicable relationship, and Patton even had a nickname for him — “The Steel Man’’ — because of Newell’s shrapnel wound to the head.

With fondness, Newell laughed at the memory of the nickname and the recent flurry of recognition he has received, comparing himself to a cat with nine lives.

He wishes his fallen comrades had the same luck.

Astead W. Herndon can be reached at astead.herndon@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @AsteadWH