My connection to France

     My ancestry comes from three nationalities, German, Irish and French.  There could be other nationalities sprinkled in my background but these three are the most prevalent.

     My grandmother Elsie (Meme) (Grein) married LeRoy McWilliams, which explains my Irish background.  Meme's mother my great grandmother was born in a French village in Illinois with a French surname Huhenenien.  

     My Dad was a WWII veteran but he never spoke much about the war, just a few words on occasion about friends he had while in service but never war stories, even though he had been in combat.  I remember rummaging through the attic looking at my Dad’s World War II memorabilia, which included fatigues, helmet, photos, combat boots, he had even brought back a German luger which he showed me but he kept secured in some unknown location.

     It wasn't until he passed away when we found a letter he saved from the war.  This letter was titled "Some Where in France" which I posted in my blog on Nov 18, 2013.  Sgt. Paul J. Fleming originally wrote this letter on an unknown date during WWII.  My Dad was one of the 18 American soldiers in the group with Sgt . Fleming.  The letter describes one day in a war torn country when the men in the Sergeant’s squad had a pleasant surprise as they entered this small French town.  This was a day of abundant food, wine and an unexpected calm.  It was possibly so memorable because a pleasant day was unexpected during those days in France.  I know with certainty this day was anything but pleasant for the people in this French town.  One's fortune can become another's loss.

     The letter describes the bombed houses and buildings in the town as well as the emptiness in that the French citizens were driven away from their homes abruptly.  This was apparent based on how the soldiers found the town.  The towns' people had left so quickly that there was no time to take any valued positions including their pets.  This made me wonder about the people of that small French town and how they would have to rebuild their lives after the war.  I don't know the name of the French town but there were likely many small towns in France that has a similar history.

     We visited France last year but we did not have an opportunity to go to Normandy (Normandie) or the small towns in the northwest but we will make this on a future trip because I feel it’s part of my family history.