Airmen honor fallen veterans in Paris

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott Wagers
Paris (AFPN) --  Inside eight lanes of swarming traffic on western end of the Champs-Elysees, hundreds of tourists and local Parisians silently watched Gen. Roger Brady, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander, join French and American hosts in laying a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Framing the entire ceremony was the Arc de Triomphe. It is the second largest triumphal arc in existence, built in the 1830's.

"It's an honor to be here today to represent today's generation of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who are in conflict around the world and willing to sacrifice as these young men and women have done," General Brady said.

The tomb, interred underneath the Arc de Triomphe on Armistice Day in 1920, is home to the first eternal flame lit in Western and Eastern Europe since the Vestal Virgins' fire was extinguished in the year 391. The flame burns in memory of the dead who were never identified in both World Wars.

Later in the afternoon, the general and his hosts officiated another ceremony 15 kilometers away at the Suresnes American military cemetery. Under blue skies and temperate weather, French and American honor guard lined the 7.5-acre cemetery that was established in 1917 by the Army Quartermaster Corps.

The general and his wife Litha toured the cemetery for their first time. Lining the green lawn that yields a panoramic view of Paris are white marble headstones of 1,541 Americans who died in World War I and 24 Unknown dead in World War II.

"Remembering our heritage is extremely important because it reminds us of where we came from and who we must be as we face difficult times. France is particularly important because this is where Airmen experienced combat for the very first time in the days of the Lafayette Escadrille before the United States entered the first World War. That heritage of honor, sacrifice, and valor is extraordinarily important."