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St. Cezaire and Les Arcs today
Tom Copsey
Hi Ben, Tom here and I too am still decompressing from what for Mary Ellen and myself was a trip of a lifetime!
Random thoughts here, for feeding into a Provence/Liberatione after action report
We here in the 517th community know how much we love, respect, and are in awe of our guys but to see the same come from an impassioned, adoring group of people from Sospel to Le Muy to St Cezaire on their turf just blew away this first time visitor to my Dad's stomping and fighting grounds of 65 years ago.
Patricia and Roland, I knew you were very special people when I met you in Savannah and was lucky to be seated with you for lunch at Tybee Island - How awesome it was to experience the hospitality of your maison and your sponsorship of all of us in your beautiful mountainside village and home. It was very, very special for Nancy and I to receive the Sospel medallions on behalf of our Dads - very emotional! Roland, much thanks for the extra chauffeuring provided to Mary Ellen and myself as we made a late entrance to the party - and for the guidance to Col de Bras (population 2!). Please thank Isabelle, Peter, and all the others for the tour. The ceremony at the liberation bridge/moument, Jean Pierre's hospitality and quips at the hotel, Isabelle's city tour, closing down the town the first night with the Barretts (can't keep up with the Boston Marathoners!) - all were wonderful.
The Belgian, Swiss, and French reenactors and their ladies - what a group! Ben - so cool for you to thank them publicly at Le Muy Sunday. Lud - equally cool how you and the other Vets gave them a dress parade inspection that Friday evening. I was in awe as to how these guys study and know the detailed history of when and where the 517th marched and fought. Equally impressive was their participation in so many events throughout the year, traveling and devoting their time. Gilles - thanks for the personal battlefield tour at St Cezaire! Never seen a guy with so much energy!
Eric and Jean Mickael - many thanks to you and all the wonderful folks at Le Muy and Draguignan. Hopefully you guys finally got some sleep. The ceremonies at Le Muy Saturday and the Draguignan American cemetery on Sunday were very moving - not every day you get to see your guys receive the French Legion of Honor! What a beautiful, immaculate, solemn site was the Cemetery at Draguignan. Merle - awesome, heart-felt presentations at all the events where you gave out the 517th testimonials, especially at Le Muy. The Le Muy fire works Sunday night were so, so cool - never quite seen anything before as to how they where choreographed with the music. It would have been nice to have stayed with the group at Les Ballidans, but in staying where we did, Mary Ellen and I got to have breakfast/dinner with a number of the British/Scottish paratrooper Vets and their entourage - those guys know how to have a great time also.
St Cezaire - what a delightful village!. At the pizza dinner Sat night - seeing the children in awe and glee mixing with the Vets and sitting on their laps - One Mom said "this is amazing" as if our guys were France's top soccer stars - but certainment, they are even bigger celebrities. The ceremonies at the hillside and then in the square - I felt I was in a movie (Bogie in Casablanca maybe) - very cool singing (or attempting to sing) the Marseille! Whodda thunk that maybe the best shopping of the trip was found in the antique shop at St Cezaire. Sorry we missed the dinner Sunday night but I can't imagine it surpassing the bountiful and jovial luncheon at the Madame's villa - Claire/Ben help me as I forgot her name.
Other tidbits: Ben you are the Liberator Energizer Bunny! You and your entourage along with Lud/Gene and the ladies were in Belgium for a week then 2 more weeks in Southern France - and you kept on going and going and going...- so glad you were there to look after Jo Ann. Sorry I missed the events where you and Leo were being Ooh La La'd in Le Muy. Leo - showing his pirate paratrooper engraving to the privileged few in Southern France. Merle - low-fiving the young French boy at the square in Le Muy. Being overwhelmed by the "paratrooper's attic" at the Le Muy museum. Beaucoup, Beaucoup, wonderful Vin Rouge (et blanc). Traveling to the village of Callas where Pop's company traveled through after the drop, and seeing Chateau St Rosaline - the HQ after D'Day - wish I had gotten some of the wine. Leo - very moving thoughts about seeing your friend at the Chateau. Hal - thanks for the commiseration on my adult supervision! (Hal and I have a lot in common!). Seeing the plaque at the Nice Airport as we left giving testimony to the 517th was a fitting way to end the journey. Wish we could have seen the Cannes parade and the string bikini audience - next time.
Finally what a great bunch of folks to travel with - like a combination history tour and frat/sorority party. So much fun and emotion. I teared up quite a few times but smiled and laughed a lot more - can't wait for the next trip!
Sante and Luv to all!
We were fortunate to have Mary Ellen and Tom with
us.-Ben
Hello, my dear Howard, Joanne Barrett said it best - one of our favorite parts of the
visit to southern France was delivering those beautiful certificates you
authored. Some were able to be presented in conjunction with celebrations
that the men had been invited to (Sospel, Le Muy and St. Cezaire), but the
purpose also brought us to Les Arcs, La Motte, Feyance, Callian, and Monteroux -
all of which we visited "on the fly," without appointments. It couldn't have worked out better. Officials met us and
were thrilled for the photo op, asked us to return for a longer visit (which
could be possible in the future but with so many to deliver, there was simply
not sufficient time for each town to turn this into a day-long event). We
were assured at every stop that they would hang in places of prominence.
We began on Tuesday, August 18 with Les Arcs and La Motte.
Both were happy to receive us and asked to stay in touch, hoping that we'll
return (or other representatives of the 517) next year. After we returned to the east for the second weekend, we spent
the morning of August 24 delivering Feyance, Callian and
Monteroux. The pictures are wonderful. My father was especially
happy to present Callian's since he landed there. At Monteroux, there was
already a feast of some kind (on Monday, August 24? I don't know why, but
Hotel de Ville was closed and tables and a stage were set up already). The
mayor announced to the crowd in French that he had an incredible surprise for
them - that the four veterans (Ben Barrett, Hal Beddow, Leo Dean and Allan
Johnson) had returned to make a presentation. The the DJ played both the
Star Spangled Banner and the French national anthem. And another surprise: there was there at that gathering a
woman who had actually worked at the field hospital in Monteroux when she was 16
in 1944! She is in the photos with the vets and their
families. Each visit was special and magical. The individuals who received certificates - Patricia and Roland
in Sospel, Eric Renoux and Jean Michel Soldi in Le Muy, as well as friends in
Belgium, were invariably moved to tears. After the official presentation
in Draguinan, I spoke privately with the assistant mayor there, thanking him for
taking care of our men for so many years and stressing the importance of that
relationship, and he, too, was teary. Howard, you took an idea of expressing our appreciation and
executed it beautifully, making each one personal. Bob Barrett had each
one printed in a very impressive fashion, and framed perfectly and
importantly. The final product was stunning. Your tireless work for the 517 is so appreciated. Thank
you so very much. Claire Johnson Giblin daughter, Allan Johnson
i had the pleasure and honor of serving as part of your flight
attendant
Claire Giblin
gretchen petrus
crew from Nice, France to New York JFK on August 25th, 2009, as you
returned
from traveling around Belgium and France commemorations of the
65th
anniversary of the liberation. ben barrett, leo dean, and the rest of
the
group were truly awe-inspiring, filled with vitality, humor, and
humility;
dignified and so youthful!! gentlemen, i thank you for all you have
done in
service to our country and others. i will forever cherish the
experience of
meeting you--and i have my Battling Buzzards pin as proof
positive of my
wonderful brush with history. yours sincerely, gretchen
petrus