The French People have always cherished and valued the tradition of friendship and alliance between France and the United States, which dates back 225 years.

 

Whatever circumstances and differences of views this friendship might have gone through, we want to reaffirm strongly this profound feeling. We cannot, do not, and will not ever forget the ultimate sacrifice American heroes made during the two World Wars to liberate France. To show our gratitude and demonstrate again this feeling, we have launched an unprecedented initiative, a symbolic gesture to lay by July 4 a red rose on each and every one of the 60,511 graves and 11 Missing In Action monuments of Americans fallen in France during World Wars I & II.

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July 4, the anniversary date of the independence of the United States, is also an historic date for France. France supported the American Revolution and was the first country to recognize America's independence. This year also marks the 225th anniversary of the 1778 treaty of friendship between our two nations.

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This grassroots initiative met with immediate enthusiasm from French associations and organizations throughout the United States and France. One of them particularly worth mentioning is Les Fleurs de la Memoire (The Flowers of Memory), which was created three years ago and already counts several thousand French families among its membership. The organization's sole mission, to which members commit in writing, is that at least once a year during their lifetime and that of their children they will lay a flower on the grave of an American fallen in France.

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This demonstrates yet again the deep feelings of friendship that unite the French and American peoples, a friendship that has and will always survive the passage of time. As President Roosevelt said, "There are no two nations more united by history and mutual friendship than the People of France and the People of the United States of America."

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Founding Committee 

 

Co-Presidents & Co-Founders
Paul Bensabat

Patrick du Tertre

Jean-Pierre Heim

Christian Millet (in Memoriam)
 

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Executive Event Producers of

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10th Anniversary of 9/11

(Twin Towers in Paris) 

&

D-Day 2014

(1 Million Rose Petals over Statue of Liberty)
Rod Kukurudz

Sandrine Mehrez Kukurudz