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In honor of the men and women who served and still serve our country, especially those who made the supreme sacrifice. May their courage and dedication always be remembered.

WE REMEMBER . . .

November 11, 1949. Armistice Day

Louis LeBeau, carrying a small American flag, approached the man and woman standing near the edge of the formidable bluffs that not too many years ago housed German gun emplacements. He could only begin to imagine what it must have been like for the men storming those beaches, facing those guns . . . Americans, Canadians, English, even some of his own countrymen, engaged in a battle for freedom, not just for France but for all of Europe. Quelle courage!

The couple turned as they heard the little Frenchman approach. He smiled, a smile that lit up his whole face. "Bonjour, mon Colonel! Et Mademoiselle Tiger!" His voice held more than a hint of memories shared: dangers faced together; missions accomplished; impossible tasks completed, life-long friendships forged. Hogan's Heroes! And Tiger, an Underground leader, small and fragile in appearance, but filled with so much courage, now the perfect life partner for his former commanding officer.

"LeBeau!" Hogan's delight at seeing his old comrade echoed in his laughter and the twinkle in his dark eyes. "I knew you'd be here. You always come on Armistice Day."

"Vous aussi, mon Colonel." The old title came easily even though Hogan now wore a general's star. Their years at Stalag 13 created bonds that superseded rank. "This is an important day to remember. So many lives. So much sacrifice."

"The war to end all wars," Hogan reminisced. "That's what President Wilson called it. My Dad was part of it. My uncles, too. I remember when they left with Pershing's troops . . . and when they came back. One of my uncles died at the Somme. He was killed in an artillery explosion. They never found his body." The tall officer's voice darkened with the memory and he felt the reassuring and understanding squeeze of his wife's hand in his own.

"My father was never the same, either," he continued. "Dad was wounded at Ypres. He seldom spoke about his experiences. I guess a lot of guys were like that, then and now." Tiger squeezed Hogan's hand even harder. She understood. She'd lost family in both wars.

"The war to end all wars," LeBeau echoed. "Instead, it set the stage for what we, what La Belle France and so many other countries suffered only a few years later. I lost my grandfather in that war. He was a cook. They drafted him to serve behind the lines. Only the lines shifted, the bombs fell, and he died. I inherited my cooking skills from him." The little Frenchman's smile broke out again. "When I open my restaurant, I will name it after him!"

"And we'll be there when you do!" Tiger laughed. "I still remember those meals you prepared at Stalag 13! They were enough to win any girl's heart!"

"Except yours!" LeBeau teased. "It already belonged to Colonel Hogan."

Hogan turned once more toward the cliffs fronting the beach. He looked west as the sun's rays lengthened in the short November afternoon.

LeBeau held out the small flag. "Pour les Inconnus," he whispered. "The Unknown Ones who gave their lives for freedom in both wars." Hogan took it reverently. He'd fought under this flag, fought for this flag. Together, the three friends placed their small symbol on a grave simply marked "An Unknown Soldier." It unfurled in the evening breeze as the last notes of Taps sounded. On it was one simple word: Merci.

Historical note:

Veterans Day was known as Armistice Day in the U.S. until 1954. The day originally commemorated the signing of the Armistice that ended the hostilities of World War I in Europe.

The American Cemetery in Normandy is located on the cliffs above Omaha Beach.