2021-06-05 French Resistance Memorial Dedication Ceremony Remarks by Col Marc V. LaRoche

ST. MARIE DU MONT, FRANCE

06.05.2021

Story by Capt. Margaret Collins DuTart 

U.S. Special Operations Command Europe   

Good morning. I am honored to be here with you today as we commemorate those who changed the course of history. I would like to begin by recognizing each of you and your direct connection to the incredibly brave men and women who fought to liberate the French people. This is a humbling and emotional event for all of us and I am so grateful to be a part of it.

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the commander of Operation Overlord, once said “This world of ours must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate and be instead a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.” Mutual trust and respect: the cornerstones in any successful relationship. These cornerstones exemplify the very ethos of Special Forces – none of us can do it alone; the trust and respect of those to your left and right are essential. Only by, with and through the support of our comrades can we ever emerge from the field of conflict victorious.

The origins of our present-day Special Operations Command began right here on this hallowed ground – more accurately – “in the night skies above” this territory.

Specifically, our story, the story of Special Forces in Europe, includes a very important chapter entitled, “Jedburgh.” Operation Jedburgh was a combined clandestine operation developed and executed by the Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action, the British Special Operations Executive and the U.S. Office of Strategic Services; all precursors of our respective modern special forces. In the run-up to D-Day, these three-person teams, equipped with small arms, explosives and an all-important clandestine radio set… alongside a healthy dose of courage, began training for nighttime insertion into Europe to link up with Resistance Forces and to take on the Nazi war machine.

Then, on the night of 5/6 June, the first of these teams literally took a jump into history. Once on the ground and aided by the very same French Resistance fighters you see here at this memorial today, they began the work of lifting the dark veil of fascism and restoring the light of liberty to the continent.

But let’s return for a moment to the concept of trust and respect. Those brave Jedburgh teams were the living embodiment of trust and respect. And it didn’t end there – the operation itself could not have even been launched without a shared trust and respect between the Allied powers. But at the tactical level, the Jedburgh teams would have almost certainly failed if it were not for the trust and respect of their French counterparts.

We know that 83 American, 90 British, 103 French, five Belgian, and five Dutch personnel made up the original Jedburgh teams with 93 teams parachuting into France and eight teams parachuting into The Netherlands in the summer of 1944. What we don’t know is the exact number of Maquis and ordinary French citizens who aided their efforts through toughness, tenacity and grit.

These brave sons and daughters of France, whose reflections I can see in the faces gathered here today, led, organized and fought alongside the Jedburgh teams across the whole of France – from Normandy, to the Vosges, the Massif Central and to the Alps.

Yet, this amazing story of resistance does not end there. Or even at the end of the Second World War. As I said earlier, this was just the beginning.

Les Jedburgh incarnaient le concept de Résistance. La même résistance qui est toujours un élément clé dans la lutte en cours contre le despotisme et les opposants de la liberté. Ne vous y trompez pas, alors que la résistance a contribué à préserver l'Europe pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le combat se poursuit car les ennemis de la liberté cherchent toujours à projeter une ombre sur ce continent. Ils cherchent à semer les graines de la désunion, de la confusion et de l’instabilité.

Dans les pays baltes et en Scandinavie, les leçons tirées de la résistance pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale nous ont montré que non seulement leur entraînement militaire, mais aussi un effort de résilience de l'ensemble du pays face à l'occupation ou à une influence malveillante étaient importants

Nous voyons la résilience comme la volonté et la capacité de résister aux pressions et influences extérieures.

Aujourd'hui, alors que nos adversaires utilisent des moyens intangibles pour semer la peur, le chaos et les conflits au sein de nos peuples, il est plus important que jamais que nos peuples restent fort mentalement. C’est un appel aux individus à se tenir sur nos bases solides et à résister à ce qui peut sembler être une envie irrésistible de céder à nos propres peurs et de se retirer de nos communautés.
La résilience donne à une personne le courage de résister à ces peurs.


Des équipes de Jedburgh à nos propres forces spéciales et conventionnelles, nous voyons comment ce concept a évolué au fil du temps.

En réfléchissant à tout cela et en observant cet incroyable mémorial, je me souviens d'une chose singulière : des petits groupes composés d'individus dévoués, lorsqu'ils agissent ensemble, peuvent obtenir d'énormes résultats. A travers la confiance et le respect, nous comptons sur des petits groupes d'hommes et de femmes, qui travaillent ensemble pour obtenir des résultats que beaucoup ne pensent pas possible. C'est exactement ce que de petites équipes de français et d’alliés ont pu faire lorsqu'elles ont été correctement formées, équipées et concentrées sur un effort commun pour détruire l'un des régimes les plus pervers de l'histoire du monde. Les résultats étaient tout simplement héroïques.
Merci.

------------------- English translation of French text -----------------------

The Jedburghs embodied the concept of Resistance. The very same resistance that is still a key component in the ongoing fight against despotism and opponents of liberty. Make no mistake, while resistance helped preserve Europe during the World War II, the fight continues because the enemies of freedom still seek to sow the seeds of disunion, confusion and instability.

In the Baltics and Scandinavia, the lessons learned from Resistance during WWII inform not only their military training, but a whole-of-nation effort in resiliency in the face of occupation or malign influence.

We see resilience as the will and ability to withstand external pressure and influences. In today’s age where our adversaries use intangible means to sow fear, chaos and conflict within our people, it is more important than ever for the people to remain mentally strong. It is a call on individuals to stand on our solid ground and resist what can seem as an overwhelming urge to give into our own fears and withdraw from our communities. Resilience gives a person the courage to resist these fears.

From the Jedburgh Teams, to our own Special and Conventional military forces, we see how this movement has evolved over time.

And as I reflect on all of this and observe this incredible memorial, I am reminded of one, singular thing: small bands of dedicated individuals, when acting together, can achieve tremendous results. Through trust and respect, we rely on small groups of men and women, working together, to achieve results many do not think possible. That is precisely what a small teams of French and Allied personnel were able to do when they were properly trained, equipped and united in purpose to expel and eliminate the most evil regime in world history. The results were nothing short of heroic. Thank you.

• Date Taken: 06.05.2021
• Date Posted: 06.08.2021 10:31
• Story ID: 398387
• Location: ST. MARIE DU MONT, FR