Andy Negra still can’t believe it! At 99 years old, the little guy from the mountains of Georgia (United States) has found a second youth. He landed Monday June 3 at Deauville airport with 47 other companions, welcomed by Brigitte Macron, as part of the celebrations of the 80e anniversary of the Landing.
Along with a team of volunteer chaperones, they had made their trip aboard a special nonstop Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta. Since last year, the American company has set up a program to transport and support D-Day veterans to the beaches of Normandy.
Last summer, the former GI had already retraced his steps. But the very first time was July 18, 1944. Andy Negra was then a tanker with the 128e artillery regiment. His combat tank regiment had landed at Utah Beach with the 6the armored division of the US Army.
Norman parenthesis
Its return in 2023 had already been initiated by Delta Air Lines, based in Atlanta, capital of the American state of Georgia. He owes this return to a French woman, Virginie Durr, executive officer of the American company. Out of loyalty to the memory of her grandfather who told her about the Battle of Normandy, she convinces Ed Bastian, the CEO of the American company, to bring back former GIs, all of them centenarians or almost, to the D-Day beaches. We had to act quickly, she confides “because veterans were disappearing with Covid”. For two of them, already very ill, this was the last trip. They won’t be from the 80e anniversary of D-Day.
For Andy, this Norman parenthesis was a revelation. He was “very moved by the visit to the American military cemetery and especially by the welcome of the children”, notably in Hérouville. While in the United States, veterans of the Second World War have been relatively forgotten, the former tanker discovered that little French schoolchildren knew about the Landings. Since this first experience, Andy, who always has a good eye, has taken his pilgrim’s staff. He went from school to school, in Georgia, to tell the story of D-Day, and his war from the Normandy beaches to Berlin. This year, during their stay in Normandy, the veterans will go to a school in Bayeux to share their story.
Due to the event, but also the age of the guests, they were entitled to special treatment. After a gala dinner in Atlanta, they flew “all first class”specifies Mme Durr, and received medical monitoring. For Andy, like the other former GIs – there are still 125,000 of them in the United States – there’s no question of missing this! Especially since the former tanker retains a certain form. He says he plays golf, lifts iron every day and has started swimming again. His friend, Neil McCallum, the youngest of the troop at “only” 97 years old, trains, does gym and walks. Virginie Durr fulfilled her mission. “My goal was that we don’t forget them”, she confides. As the D-Day ceremonies approach, she wants “enjoy every minute you get to spend with them. It’s a gift “.