“For the combatants, March 19th was a relief”
On the March 19th commemoration, the chief of staff of the Var prefect read the message of Patricia Mirallès, Secretary of State to the...
Indeed, among the national days that preserve the memory of contemporary conflicts, March 19th holds a unique place. Like November 11th, like May 8th, it marks the cessation of hostilities. For the hundreds of thousands of conscripts and volunteers sent to the southern shores of the Méditerranée, in the mountains of Kabylie, in the gorges of the oueds, for those who were still there, March 19th was first and foremost a relief, the hope that bullets would stop whistling.
“They formed the third generation of fire. Their ancestors, under the flags, had fought in 14 as in 40, answering the Nation’s call as they in turn were asked to do, in a society that was deeply divided by the nature and meaning of this war,” recalled the chief of staff.
After the return, after the sacrifices, after the death of friends, the wounds received or the death inflicted, came a new battle for those of 54 and 62, that of recognition. What is obvious today, that they had rights over us, was not so at the time (...)
,” emphasized the chief of staff.
Photos Philippe OLIVIER.