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Honoring the Fallen

Four BYU students pay their respects to American soldiers who died defending France.

French citizens still feel the repercussions of World War II despite the fact that almost 100 years have passed. The recent centennial anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stirred a patriotic fervor that included the BYU internship coordinator for France, Anne Marie Mattson, as well as BYU students Abigail McBride (Economics ’23), Ethan Walch (Computer Science, French Studies ’23), Ben O’Brien (Economics, French Studies ’23), and Benjamin Brodie (Neuroscience ’23). Mattson helped the students find meaningful opportunities to represent BYU—and by extension the United States—in various memorial celebrations throughout this past academic year. All four of these students recognized that honoring those who paved the way for current freedoms helps us to maintain those freedoms.

Abigail McBride in Châlons-en-Champagne

In October 2021, Abigail joined the Society of the Honor Guard and the American Legion Paris chapter in Châlons-en-Champagne to reenact a selection ceremony for the Unknown Soldier. The group retraced the path the Unknown Soldier took through France on his way to his final resting place across the Atlantic in Arlington National Cemetery. The bodies of hundreds of American soldiers who died in France remain there due to shipping constraints at the time of their death. The journey of the Unknown Soldier back home is made to honor those whose bodies weren’t able to be returned to the United States.

Abigail took photos of the events, laid wreaths, held cameras for video and livestreaming, and managed social media for the group. As her company stopped in numerous small towns along the way to lay wreaths, Abigail was struck by the care and compassion with which the French take care of the American cemeteries.

Abigail says, “The Meuse-Argonne Cemetery is the largest American cemetery outside the US and holds around 14,000 graves. Every single week, they clean every single grave, they polish every single grave, they use only the exact same marble for all of the tombstones from a quarry in Italy, and they will forever use that marble. They measure the depth of the letters to make sure they are all up to par. It was insane the amount of work they go through to maintain the cemeteries a hundred years later. It was pristine, so meticulous.”

Abigail loved the chance to be steeped in history and make her own commitment to never forget the sacrifice of those soldiers. The group reached port near Caen and bid the honorary Unknown Soldier farewell as he was loaded onto a boat to meet the president in two weeks at Arlington National Cemetery. Regarding the cemeteries still full of American soldiers in France, Abigail says, “It’s comforting to know there are still places in which each individual is remembered.”

Ethan Walch and Ben O’Brien at Oise-Aisne

On the Sunday before Memorial Day 2022, Ethan Walch and Ben O’Brien laid wreaths at the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial. Ben had been working in Paris as a legal assistant for the American Legion, and was told about the upcoming annual event to honor the fallen. Ben decided to help with the preparations for the memorial, which involved the American Legion visiting different American cemeteries in France from both world wars.

Ben states that “the purpose of the day is to remember the sacrifice that was made. They go to pay their respects, to show gratitude, and to make sure we are continuing to remember the sacrifice of the soldiers.”

Reflecting back on his own experience, Ben says, “I was able to pay my respects and to take the opportunity to remember individuals who I might not have otherwise thought of. There have been so many soldiers who have lost their lives. It was insightful for me to go to a specific battlefield, and a battle I hadn’t heard about, and look at all the Americans who sacrificed for our country, in places that we haven’t heard of.”

Ben also considered the larger implications of the memorial. “One of the things that stood out to me the most was how the speakers at each memorial talked about the importance of remembering those who have sacrificed for us in the past and why we need to maintain gratitude for them. It is important that we honor their sacrifice by making sure that we promote peace around the world.”

Benjamin Brodie in Pont-Scorff

In August 2022, Benjamin Brodie aided in a memorial dedication for the American soldiers of the 4th Division who were killed at Pont-Scorff, France, in Brittany (the northwest region of France). The ceremony included a dedication of a memorial stone next to the field where 36 soldiers were ambushed and killed by Germans.

The American Battle Monuments Commission and l’association Pont-Scorff sous la guerre (the Pont-Scorff during the war association) wished to show their lasting gratitude for the American soldiers who gave their lives defending Pont-Scorff. The two associations put up the memorial stone together, and l’association Pont-Scorff sous la guerre spent several years researching the names and families of the fallen to invite them to the memorial. Of the many invited, about four families attended the ceremony and subsequent World War II exhibits and events.

Benjamin says it was “truly an amazing experience to see the mixing of American and French as they remembered what had happened there over 70 years before. It was especially beautiful to see how much they still remembered and celebrated the American liberation, even multiple generations later, and how big a part of their family history it was for the entire community.”

Benjamin interned with the American Legion Paris Post 1 for this event, worked as the photographer, helped with the drafting of speeches, translated for the American families who had come, and laid down a wreath during the ceremony on behalf of BYU. Among the many duties Benjamin fulfilled for the legion, his favorite was getting to help the French and American families communicate. He says, “Despite their different cultures and backgrounds, they were still, even today, united by this war, and it brought them together in a way that nothing else really could. Seeing the unity and beauty that could come from a time so dark and difficult was unforgettable, and I’m so glad that I could take part in the events in Pont Scorff in my own small way.”