11/11

Flags on the monument  11-11-2017

I missed the All Saints' ceremony at Saint Michel's cemetery this year, so I was determined not to miss the Armistice Day ceremony at Place Davilla.  It wasn't raining when I looked outside, so I didn't bring an umbrella along.  Thankfully, I did wear my raincoat.  Perhaps I should have looked more closely before leaving the house.  It wasn't cold, just a little wet.

Medal recipients

I didn't know if there would be the normal Saturday market or not--since Saturday was a holiday and holidays are taken very seriously here in France--no buses, almost nothing is open,.  But eating is also taken very seriously, and Saturday market is important.  There weren't as many vendors as usual, but there were enough.

No raincoats here

I walked up Rue Verdun to Place Davilla where the WWI monument is located.  The crowd was mostly dressed for the weather, but the participants, even the students were mostly bare-headed. The ceremony started on time, unlike many things here.  I missed maybe the procession and the opening remarks.  They were pinning medals on those who earned them, and I heard Iraq mentioned time and again.  They look so very young to me.  

Elder drummer

Saluting in the rain

Several of the groups represented  and their motorcycles

Firemen (left) and the red SAMU (French EMT's) add a little color

I was especially moved by the speech given by the Prefect of the Aude, and have sent the Prefecture an e-mail to see if he will send me a copy so I can share it with my friends and family back in the States.   I guess he is the highest-rankling representative of the French government among all the dignitaries attending.  There were brass fanfares before critical parts of the ceremony:  the speeches, the dipping of the flags, the laying of the flowers.  This year there was a band in addition to the brass, and it seems to me that their playing is improving.  After the names of those military members who'd died since last year's ceremony were read, the choir intoned, "Mort pour la France."  I was impressed that their names were read aloud....so we don't forget.  

The crowd, even the youngest members, were respectful and observant of  the minute of silence.  The proceedings were not flashy or slick, but they were heartfelt and memorable.  Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, and I suspect that the local organizations responsible will pull out all the stops.  

One of the student participants

It was not a long ceremony, and the crowd, while respectable, was not overwhelming.  I walked back down Rue Verdun with the band and the contingent of flags.  We were mostly quiet and reflective.  France lost 1.3 million men--how that must have devastated whole villages.  My grandfather Heatherly served in the Regular Army in WWI--how I wish I had had the opportunity to know him and ask him if he ever got to France. 

Time is having its double-edged effect.  It eases the horrible pain, but it lulls us into forgetfulness.  I am sure that the causes of this War were not simple; they rarely are.  But there is something reassuring about this ritual of observation.  It means we are less likely to forget, if not the origins of the conflict, the consequences it brought.   And if we don't forget, we may be less likely to repeat.  

If one must carry an umbrella.....one with style is nice.