JUNE 25th 2008
After
having been very pleased to meet with "Mim" Baronet and Cora Von
Aspern (Ashley's grand-mother and aunt) at the Dallas-Irving reunion in
2002, it was very special to me to be able to welcome Ashley in Laon as a
representative of the third generation of the Franco-American friendship
born on the Laon-Couvron AB. Many thanks for such a visit, Ashley ! |
One
week ago today, I was blessed to be able to visit the old Laon Air Force
Base as well as the town of Couvron-et-Aumencourt. Some might think that
this is a strange destination for a 20 year old study abroad student from
Baylor University in Texas, but it was a pretty big deal in my family
because it was the first time in almost 50 years that a
"Baronet" has been on that particular base. My grandfather was
in the airbase and was stationed at the Laon base when my dad was born. I
was able to return to the base and not only see where my father's life
started but where his 7 older siblings and my grandparents lived and
worked. I got to see where they experienced all of the stories I hear
every year at Thanksgiving. It was a very special afternoon that I spent
with camera in hand for all my family who are anxiously awaiting in the
United States for an update on this little town that held so many
memories.