Terry Watson (L) and Jim Barcia talk with Jacques Nadeau, highly honored Canadian who was 16 in the invasion of Dieppe, France, in 1942, and brought his bicycle aboard the landing craft. DIPLOMATIC TRIP: Jim Barcia, Terry Watson Represent U.S. in Dieppe, France
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They met Sister Agnes, a 98-year-old nun who was slapped by the Nazis for helping wounded Allied troops.
They befriended 92-year-old Jacques Nadeau, who as a 16-year-old Canadian somehow managed to smuggle his bicycle on the landing craft for the invasion of Dieppe.
"He told us how he rode on the streets shooting Nazis from his bike, and he lived through it," said Terry Watson, Bangor Township supervisor.
British representative Prince Michael of Kent, with beard, is accompanied by his attaché and bodyguard. Former U.S. Rep. James A. Barcia is at the far left. Terry Watson, Bangor Township supervisor, is at the far right.
They met bewhiskered Prince Michael of Kent, nephew of Queen Elizabeth, decked out in Scottish kilts along with his attaché and bodyguard.
One of their hosts was the Communist Mayor of Dieppe, Sebastian Joumel, who quipped: "I'm way to the left of your President Obama."
Watson, a Viet Nam veteran, and former U.S. Rep. James A. Barcia, became diplomats Aug. 19 when they represented the U.S. at a World War II memorial in Dieppe, France.
The local pair was informed of the anniversary event by Diane Condon-Boutier, sister of Mr. Watson's wife Peggy. A native of Bay City, Ms. Boutier has lived in Dieppe for 29 years since traveling there to study. She is a novelist.
Watson and Barcia won a measure of lasting fame for their self-financed trip to France to honor those lost in Canadian-led raid of Aug. 19, 1942.
A U.S. flag provided by U.S. Rep. Dale F. Kildee and a plaque from the Bay City Amvets were presented to the mayor by the local representatives and placed in the August 19, 1942 Memorial Museum. Mr. Barcia also presented a copy of the Congressional Record with Rep. Kildee's memorial statement on the occasion of the anniversary. Tributes also were presented from State Rep. Charles Brunner, State Sen. Mike Green and Gov. Rick Snyder.
Nazi soldier views Canadian dead on beach at Dieppe in 1942 where they were trapped and machine-gunned.
The raid is recalled as a futile attempt to give the Allies a foothold on the northern coast of France in Nazi-occupied Europe. About 60 percent of the Allied raiders were either killed, wounded or captured.
An account of the ceremony in Dieppe was published in The New York Times Aug. 19 along with comments from Watson and Barcia. The article featured a dramatic photo of Nadeau, whom Barcia and Watson met and socialized with in Dieppe.
The local dignitaries were at the event to honor three Michigan Army Rangers who were among the 6,100 military personnel in the invasion. The attackers included 5,000 Canadians, 1,000 British commandos and 50 U.S. Army Rangers. Others included Belgians, Poles, Czechs, Australians, New Zealanders and Free French.
The Rangers included three Michigan men, privates Stanley Bush, Walter A. Bresnahan and James C. Moseley, all of whom have passed away.
Of the nearly 5,000 men from Canada and who took part in the raid, 913 were killed and nearly 2,000 were taken prisoner. Many remained in POW camps for the duration of the war.
Steven Blaney, Canada's veterans affairs minister, led commemoration ceremonies in Dieppe. The British were represented by Prince Michael of Kent, the nephew of Queen Elizabeth.
Less than two years later, June 6, 1944, the mission of the failed Dieppe Raid was accomplished by a massive armada and hundreds of thousands of Allied troops in the Normandy Invasion, called D-Day (Decision Day), under Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Author Robin Neillands of "The Dieppe Raid: The Story of the Disastrous 1942 Expedition" wrote:
"The Dieppe Raid is one of World War II's most controversial hours. In 1942, a full two years before D-Day, thousands of men, mostly Canadian troops eager for their first taste of battle, were sent across the English Channel in a raid on the French port town of Dieppe. Air supremacy was not secured; the topography -- a town hemmed in by tall cliffs and reached by steep beaches -- meant any invasion was improbably difficult. The result was carnage: the beaches were turned into killing grounds even as the men came ashore, and whole battalions were cut to pieces."
A documentary on the raid is being aired in Europe and is slated to be shown in the U.S. soon.
The Bay City representatives (Watson & Barcia) at the memorial service in Dieppe place a wreath in honor of the dead.
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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers! |
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TerryWatson says:
On September 04, 2012
at 09:51 AM
Dave,
Good job on the article. I have had several people send it to me, remarking on what a good job you did. I have sent the article to a couple people in France also. Thanks Terry |
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Dave Rogers |
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