Dear British and American veterans, we often wonder what the fate of our generation would have been had you failed to come. This year again we celebrate your return among us. The honor we feel to have you here is mixed with great joy and emotion. You have come to commemorate with us the liberation of our village.

On the 15^th August 2009, the 65^th anniversary of the first day of our recovered freedom, we think with emotion and gratitude of the soldiers who landed or were parachuted to deliver us from the occupants.

On that warm and quiet night, everything looked so peaceful at Le Muy. Most inhabitants did not imagine that an event of extraordinary magnitude was about to happen.

But as President SARKOZY reminded us in his speech at la Nartelle on May 8t^h of this year: The bombing started at 3:30 a.m. and at 4.30 the paratroopers jumped and occupied Le Muy.

These paratroopers were American, British, Canadian and also French. Their task was – with the help of the French Resistance – to occupy the region and push out the Germans. The operation involved 10,000 soldiers. Many of them were Frenchmen who had fought on many battlefields, from Bir Hakeimin Libya, to Italy. Twelve Frenchmen jumped on Le Muy with the Allied forces. Among them was Claude JACQUEMET, a native son, and Francois GILBERT whose presence among us we salute.

A soldier from Le Muy comes back home to Le Muy, French soldiers set foot on native ground, the reconqest of France has started.

The fighting that took place in Le Muy on August 15^th,1944 made the following day-our village the first village to be liberated in the Provence.

It was also the first stage in the victorious advance of the Allied Armies toward Les Arcs, Draguignan, Central Var, Toulon and Marseilles and nothing would stop them until final victory.

Today, on the very spot where their feats of arms took place, the French Republic wishes to pay homage to the eight American veterans who are present among us and award them the Legion of Honor as a symbol of the gratitude of France and of the French People.

Our friends the British veterans whose valor is as great as that of their American Brothers in Arms we also wish to honor similarly. We regret that because of delays induced by the protocol, they will receive their medals only some time from now.

Monsieur Nicolas SARKOZY, the President of the French Republic has asked me to express to you, on his behalf, his feelings of gratitude and his warmest congratulations.

Le Muy has not forgotten and Le Muy will never forget these young soldiers who have come halfway around the world to give back its freedom to a people crushed by humiliation and oppression., to cleanse the shame of dishonour and defeat. They fought alongside us and for us so that our generation, our children and our grandchildren, the generations that may come, may live free.

Lest their sacrifice and sacrifices of the French Resistance fighters who said no to the invaders be forgotten, it is our duty to maintain, perpetuate and pass on this sacrid flame of remembrance.

Let us be proud of them who lived before us, let us be proud to be French, proud of the values of our Republic, with LIBERTY as our most precious heritage.

Our deepest and warmest thanks to you who came here so long ago to save our Liberty

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To: Bill Christian, from Mickael & Eric,
 Le Muy AIRBORNE MUSEUM FRANCE,
 
dear Bill, we still have few 517th patches from Columbus GA reunion 1999, contact us and tell me how many your grand kids want .
 
kind regards, Mickael. anvil-dragoon@hotmail.com

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Pierre Giordano

Dear Ben,

My name is Pierre Giordano, we first met at the Nice Airport on the 12th of Aug 2009.
It was such a great honour and pleasure to meet with you and the members of the group travelling with you. Lots of very good memories !

I have seen in the last Mail call NO 1879 that Mr Bill Christian is looking for a supplier for 517th patches.
Could you please pass my email address (pgiordano@amadeus.com) onto Bill ? I have a complete range of reproduced pocket patches of the 517th, 460th and 596th.

I hope to see you again next year in south of France. Meanwhile I will continue to be a regular reader of the daily mail calls.

Many thanks and Warmest Regards,

Pierre.

pgiordano@amadeus.com

Hi Ben,

Much better thank you ! That's right, I was with my friend Frederic at the Airport.

Now, I am back to Bangkok where I work. I will go back home (south of France) for Christmas and of course in August next year for the 66th Anniversary of the Liberation.

By the way, I have some pictures of you taken in St Cezaire, I will send them to you soon.

Hoping that everything is going well on your side.

Warm regards,

Pierre.
pgiordano@amadeus.com

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Howard Hensleigh

Dear Tom,

Good to know the doctors are taking good care of you and it is a treat to have your email about good things that happened long ago.  These things are what made us a band of brothers in the 517th.  Red and I are happy to have you back in the 3rd Bn. S-2 fold after so many years.  Keep in touch.  Howard Hensleigh

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Weil <tom517para@si.rr.com>
Sent: Sep 24, 2009 7:11 PM
To: hhensleigh@earthlink.net

From: Tom Weil

HI JUST WANTED TO BRING YOU UP TO DATE.  HAVE BEEN HOSPITAL FOR A LITTLTR TIME AND VARIOUS DOCTORS TO SEE.  GEORGE M WROTE TO ME BEFORE ALL MY MEDICAL PROBLEMS .  MOST HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY RESOLVED'.  IN HIS LETTER HE WROTE HOW MUCH HE ENJOYED COMING TO NY  ON PASS WHEN WE WERE STATIONED IN CAMP MACKALL AND WANTED TO THANK FOR INVITING HIM WITH JACK AND FRANK. THIS REMINDED ME, I DON'T KNOW IF I EVER THANKED YOU WHAT YOU DID FOR  JACK AND I WHEN WE WERE NEAR GRASSE SO FRANCE,  REQUESTED A THREE PASS TO VISIT MY UNCLE WHOSE FAMILY OWNED A PERFUME THERE.  YOU NOT ONLY GAVE IT TO US BUT YOU BORROWED A ''A JEEP TO SAVE TIME ON  TRAVEL TIME. I AM THANKING YOU AT THIS TIME AS IT GAVE MY FATHER AND I A GREAT DEAL OF PLEASURE'''''''''''

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