In 2025, the 80th anniversary of the Amicale des Commandos d'Afrique

Following the 2023 general meeting, the association carried out numerous actions to honor the memory of our liberators, as Yves Boyer, general secretary of the association, recalls: "In the month following the general meeting, the drafting of the annual newsletter begins, which is always highly appreciated by its readers. This activity keeps me busy from October to December for two hours a night, because the days are devoted to other activities such as lectures, meetings with young people, and the three associations to which I devote my time, in the field of transmission and remembrance, and which also require an almost daily presence."

50 ACTIVITIES

Looking back on the past year, Yves Boyer identified more than 50 activities: "Ceremonies, events, forums, congresses, exhibitions, in most cases with the presence of our pennant. The year began with our joining the "Routes varoises de la liberté" project, initiated by the Département. Many meetings were held until June. We put all our energy, knowledge, and resources into advising and helping project leaders, and responded to numerous requests from the media." He adds: "I built wonderful relationships with the families of Commandos who came forward. These now strong links ensure we have a successor generation and a strong presence within the association. In addition, I closely followed the renovation work on the nécropole du Canadel. It was a good thing I did, as in March I discovered a necropolis with colored gravel that looked more like a pleasure garden than a place of contemplation. Furthermore, the many errors on the explanatory panel were corrected thanks to the wise advice of our vice-president. For his part, Patrice Caserio worked on the association's image by having commemorative medals minted and proposing a special cuvée, as our predecessors had done thirty years ago. Thanks to his dedication, we obtained the label for the relay race between Le Rayol and La Londe-les-Maures."

500 YOUNG PEOPLE WELCOMED

The general secretary continues the inventory of activities: "Cap Nègre, Le Canadel, and Mauvanne welcomed more than 500 young people this year (Cadets de la Défense, final-year classes, middle school students, primary school pupils and a Défense class, and around a hundred adults from the Éducation nationale or individuals). Some visited our salle d'Honneur in the presence of François Salaün. We received a favorable response from the municipalities of the Territoire de Belfort, liberated by the Commandos d'Afrique, assuring them of our presence next November. Belfort, Valdoie, Cravanche, Offemont, Cernay, places where every year our veterans enjoyed meeting up, will welcome a delegation from the Amicale and its glorious pennant. The son of doctor Pierre and our friend Georges de Leusse have already laid some groundwork and their advice is valuable. The mayor of Offemont has informed us that the plaque at the François de Leusse crossroads will be put back in place, and the mayor of Belfort has sent us the schedule for the ceremonies on November 23." In reality, this activity report is only the visible part of everything accomplished by the Board of Directors (which meets once a quarter), often supported by a handful of volunteer members without whom the association would not have been able to welcome the families of the Commandos. Addressing the elected officials, Yves Boyer thanked them for their financial and material support, and their encouragement which accompanies the association's actions and allows them to be carried out successfully. The former local official knows how great the difficulties are that mayors face throughout the year: "This year of the 80th anniversary of the Libération, we have called on you even more and we measure the level of your commitment, which rose to the occasion. Rest assured that we will continue, through our presence, to honor all the ceremonies or events to which we are invited."