Arrived at the American cemetery of Draguignan at 4:20 p.m., the scouts take the time to discover the place before lowering the American flags in a very methodical way.
Six scouts on the left flag, six on the right flag and five other scouts in the middle.
To ensure that the American flags never flew in the dark, they were lowered at 4:30 p.m. by the two scout teams.
Patriotism and duty of memory
With delicacy, the scouts pull the strings of the flag. “The flag must not touch the ground.” explains Béatrice Carrot, the Franco-American in charge of organizing the arrival of the scouts on French territory.
Once lowered, they fold it lengthwise then into a triangle so that only the starry blue part can be seen before putting it away.
For Nathan, who holds the American flag in both hands, it’s a poignant moment. “We did something important for the United States and we did it with honor..”
“It was important to me to bring them here. When we talk about the landings, we think of D-Day in Normandy but not those in Provence”, confides Béatrice Carrot. A guided tour of the cemetery with a meditation in front of the tomb of the only woman buried in the cemetery followed.
“ Few women went to the front during the war.” explains Mr. Matherne in charge of the visit.
With his hand on the grave of Adela E. Lutz, he tells the story of this nurse assigned to an officer during the Second World War. “She always volunteered when there was a dangerous mission”he explains.
The first mixed troupe
What affect many scouts for whom volunteering and parity are two essential virtues. “Here, we are one of the first mixed troupes with twelve boys and five girls. We also made sure that there were two girl guides and two boy guides.” specifies Béatrice Carrot.
A meticulous organization
“We are always a little stressed when we bring a whole team of young people to another country”admit two of the guides of the scout troop. “The cultures are different so the rules are not the same. It’s also stressful with the Covid. And even your cars, they’re not automatic here!” they say, laughing. Despite everything, they put things into perspective and hope to make the most of their ten days of mountain biking and aqua hiking in the Gorges du Verdon.
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