french foreign legion

2 articles

Mar17

2008Who is officially recognized as the last surviving French combatant from the First World War?

Lazare Ponticelli, born in Italy and later naturalized as French, is officially recognized as France’s last surviving combatant of the First World War. His story is significant both as a living link to the generation of "poilus" and for his steadfast participation in annual remembrance ceremonies at the 'monument aux morts' until the year before his death in 2008 at the remarkable age of 110. Ponticelli requested that his state funeral be modest, with a memorial mass at Les Invalides honoring all his fallen comrades—emphasizing collective memory over individual glory. On March 17, 2008, this wish was fulfilled as President Nicolas Sarkozy led the nation in unveiling a simple stone tablet, inviting the youth of France to remember the sacrifices of the 8.5 million countrymen who served during the Great War.

Mar7

2008What town dedicated to remembrance appointed itself as the official 'Center of the World'?

Nestled in California’s Imperial County, Felicity is a unique town brought to life by French-American visionary Jacques-André Istel, who declared it the ‘Center of the World.’ Entirely devoted to the preservation of history and remembrance, Felicity features an outdoor Museum of History in Granite, with over a thousand monumental panels designed to endure for 4,000 years. Officially recognized as the Center of the World by the French government in 1989, Felicity also commemorates March 7 as Saint Felicity Day, marking the anniversary of its Church on the Hill of Prayer, dedicated in 2008. Visitors entering Felicity are greeted by a colossal bronze sundial fashioned after Michelangelo’s ‘Arm of God,’ pointing the way to this extraordinary celebration of memory and legacy.