Never Forget Garden in France

10 months ago

A Breton Town Council Honors American Liberators

Gouesnou, Brittany - France - Eighty-one years ago, in the hedgerow country north of Brest, more than 200 young American soldiers gave their lives to liberate France from Nazi occupation. Today, the Town Council of Gouesnou (population 6,500) is reviving their memory through an exceptional project, embodying patriotic values, historical transmission, and Franco-American solidarity.

On November 16, 2025, an unprecedented memorial will be inaugurated, dedicated to these men who fell far from their homeland. To bring this initiative to life, an international appeal for donations has been launched in France and the United States. Indeed, such a memory belongs to both nations.

A unique project in its ambition, historical meticulousness, and transatlantic roots. Since 2017, Gouesnou has undertaken an unprecedented research and commemoration effort for a town of its size, involving historians, artists, teachers, citizens… and now committed American partners.

A meticulous historical research initiated by historian Dimitri Poupon and followed up by a Franco-American team of volunteers has identified, to date, 171 American soldiers who fell in Gouesnou between August 7 and September 4, 1944, during the early days of the siege of Brest.

This connection with the United States is not merely symbolic; it has become an essential driving force to move the project forward. Without the help, recognition, and direct involvement of American partners, this memory work could not have achieved such scope. For several months, the Town of Gouesnou has benefited from the active support of American institutional and associative representatives, whose concrete involvement testifies to the strength of this shared story. The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, whose prime mission is to preserve the memory of French soldiers who are buried in the U.S., is also committed to honoring American soldiers who fought for freedom in France and supports the project. Its president, Thierry Chaunu, will give a talk in public on July 10th alongside the French teams, thus marking the deep alignment of the two nations with this tribute. The Society of the Honor Guard - Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington, VA), a prestigious institution of American military memory, has also expressed its official support and is mobilizing its volunteers, who are deeply involved in the ongoing research, highlighting the national memorial dimension that this project now holds on the American side.

The presence in 2024 in Gouesnou of representatives from the United States Embassy, alongside Colonel Brendan Toolan of the 2nd American Infantry Division, during the Gouesnou Memory event (12,000 visitors in 2024), was a real landmark. This visit initiated a structured dialogue with several veterans' associations, some of which expressed their willingness to contribute both to the documentation of work and to the mobilization around the donation campaign. Through these active cooperations, this project transcends town borders to become part of a transatlantic dynamic of recognition, historical justice, and transmission.

It highlights a shared, living memory, combining two partners, on both sides of the Atlantic, and confirms that this Franco-American friendship is also fed today by powerful and deeply human local initiatives.

A monument rich in symbols, a timeless tribute

The work commissioned from sculptor Jean-Philippe Drévillon will embody the magnitude of the sacrifice: A life-size American soldier, seated, exhausted, with his rifle in his hand. Behind him, a monumental door was engraved with the names found so far. A doorway as a passage from shadow to light, as a threshold between war and peace, as a symbol of regained freedom. The memorial will be built on the very sites of the battles. It will become a place to remember and recollect, but also a place of transmission, thanks to educational workshops organized in schools.

"We are not building a statue. We are expressing gratitude. It is a tribute from France to American courage, a living bridge between our two nations." - Stéphane Roudaut, Mayor of Gouesnou.

Model of the future monument:

A donation campaign to unite memories and hearts to finance this project of exceptional symbolic and historical value, the Town of Gouesnou is launching an appeal for citizen generosity on both sides of the Atlantic.

The goal is clear: collect $300,000 to enable the making of the statue, the laying out of the site, and any cultural mediation actions.

Every donation matters. The project is aimed at all patriotic citizens, veterans' families, American institutions attached to memory, historical foundations, military associations, companies, and sponsors.

Make an online donation from the United States: www.every.org/gouesnou-us-memorial