Your Guide and Expert:  Gilles Lagin  

 

I was born in Chateau Thierry, September 7, 1964 and got my interest for  Americans in the World War when I was 9 years old. At that time my teacher sent me to interview  a French Veteran living in Chateau Thierry, who told me about HIS war. I was very impressed by his experience and stories, he was sitting in an armchair, holding his walking stick, he fought in the major battles of the War and then he told me about Americans. It was new for me I didn't know that Americans fought in the World War; of course it was nothing about Chateau Thierry, Belleau Wood, the Marne, and the Ourcq and Vesle in our school history students' books. Few days later, my teacher and classmates went to visit the American Aisne Marne Memorial overlooking the town. There, standing in front of this impressive Memorial, I asked my teacher about the American participation, he couldn't find any response to my questions and it made me quite frustrated. Living in the town near the public library, I went there many times to borrow books about the War and found some good stories about the American Army in the World War and some nice historical and personal ones about the battle of the Marne, Chateau Thierry, Belleau Wood and all the battles around where the American troops were involved, thereby, my greatest passion appeared!

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