French towns honour US pilot killed in liberation

The Independent ^ | January 15 2003 | Frederic Lepinay

[knighthawk]

Children waved American flags and young men donned GI uniforms yesterday at ceremonies in two French towns to honour a US pilot whose remains were found 56 years after he went missing in the Second World War.

At La Longueville, near Maubeuge in northern France, William Wyatt Patton Jnr. was honored with a stone memorial that commemorates him as "a gallant hero" who "gave his life for us".

Patton, from Stark City, Missouri, died aged 27 when his P-51 Mustang fighter plane crashed on 15 January 1945. His niece, Connie, travelled from Fairview, Missouri, for the ceremony. She said: "I'm very moved by these signs of friendship. My uncle believed in freedom."

A plaque was also unveiled at a museum in nearby Feignies, where there is an exhibit about the pilot.

Patton's family believed he had plunged into the English Channel. But in 2001, workers draining a field discovered his remains, which were identified through DNA testing and later returned to Missouri.

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[knighthawk]

Europe-list

If people want on or off this list, please let me know.

[SAMWolf]

Bump!

[RAY]

So many died for our country and mankind - and so few of us really remember them. However, most of them would have wanted us to go on with our lives; yet, we must not forget that freedom is not free.

[Pyro7480]

Many in northern France, particularly in Brittany and Normandy, remember the sacrifice of our armed forces during WW2. These are the good guys in France. I say Americans should return the favor by passing Paris and the Riviera over, because of the anti-American atmosphere there, and go spend their tourist money there instead. The countryside there anyway is beautiful. I was there in 1997, and I'm still in awe over the beauty of the place.

[BfloGuy]

Well said. We must keep in mind that the European press no more speaks for the average European than our press speaks for us.

I've encountered incredibly good will towards Americans in both the UK and in France (Paris, even).

Must have something to do with what you're looking to find when you go there.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Great story, knighthawk. We must never forget. Looks like some French haven't either.

[Victoria Delsoul]

After 56 years. Well, I guess... better late than never.

Thanks for the ping, Sam.

[SAMWolf]

You're Welcome. Bump