A centenarian Second World War veteran married his fiancée in a ceremony near the D-Day beaches of Normandy.
Harold Terens – a 100-year veteran of the U.S. Army Air Force – called it “the best day of my life” as he married 96-year-old Jeanne Swerlin today.
On the way to the ceremony, the bride said: “It’s not just for young people, love, you know? We got butterflies in our stomach. And we got a little action too.”
She also said her boyfriend was the “best kisser ever.”
The two were married at Carentan town hall, an important early D-Day objective, which saw fierce fighting after the Allied landings on June 6, 1944.
The vast amphibious invasion helped repel Nazi forces until Germany was forced to surrender a year later.
Along with other towns and villages along France’s northern coast, Carentan is organizing remembrance events to mark 80 years since nearly 160,000 Allied soldiers stormed five code-named beaches while under heavy fire.
Well-wishers celebrating the anniversary lined the streets outside the ceremony.
Photo: AP
After both said “oui” to the vows read by the mayor of Carentan, Jean-Pierre Lhonneur, in English, the bride and groom exchanged rings.
With glasses of champagne in hand, they waved to the crowd outside through an open window.
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“To the good health of everyone. And to peace in the world and the preservation of democracy throughout the world and the end of the war in Ukraine and Gaza,” the groom said.
Terens enlisted in 1942 and, after shipping out to Britain, was assigned to a four-pilot P-47 Thunderbolt fighter unit as a radio repair technician.
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On D-Day, he helped repair planes returning from France so they could return to battle. He said half of his company’s pilots died that day.
The aviator himself went to France 12 days later, helping to transport newly captured Germans and recently released American prisoners of war to England.
On Saturday night, the happy couple attended a state dinner at the Elysee Palace with President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden.
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“Congratulations to the newlyweds,” said President Macron in a toast praising Franco-American friendship.
The wedding was symbolic, as the mayor does not have the power to marry foreigners not resident in Carentan and the couple did not request legally binding vows, the mayor’s office said.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
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