9/11 Commemoration in Paris

To mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a group called The French Will Never Forget is planning an exceptional event at the Place du Trocadéro in Paris. Between the wings of the Palais de Chaillot, with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop and huge French and American flags on either side, temporary replicas of the Twin Towers will be erected, each about the height of a ten-story building.

Made of wooden frameworks 80 feet high and  13 feet on each side covered with white tarpaulin, the towers will carry inscriptions: on the first, the names of the tragedy’s some 3,000 victims; on the second, signatures and messages from thousands of French people living in the US and France who wish not only to show support and compassion for Americans ten years after the attacks, but to remind them of the gratitude the French still feel toward their American allies whose sacrifices during two world wars helped save their country.

The association behind the event, The French Will Never Forget (TFWNF), was formed by four French expatriates who are longtime residents of the US—Paul Bensabat, Jean-Pierre Heim, Christian Millet and Patrick du Tertre. They created TFWNF in 2003 as a response to the anti-French sentiment provoked by the France’s position on the situation in Iraq and its decision not to commit troops to Operation Desert Storm. “We have deep ties to the US,” explains Millet. “We have lived in the States for many years, our children were born here, and we didn’t want the friendship between our two countries to be tarnished by political problems.”

That same year the association organized its first event, honoring the memory of US soldiers who died in France during World Wars I and II. On July 4, 2003, a red rose was laid on every one of their 60,511 graves—TFWNF had raised the money, secured the authorizations and organized the hundreds of volunteers who decorated the graves in 11 cemeteries throughout France.

For the past eight years the association has continued sponsoring events in France and the US highlighting Franco-American friendship, with one occurring nearly every year. “This was never intended to be a one-shot deal,” Millet says. “We continue to create events because this French-American relationship has to be maintained.”

In 2004 the association was one of the primary fundraisers for a visit to France by 100 World War II veterans who were awarded the Légion d’Honneur. In later years they organized other visits and events honoring American veterans in both the US and France. And on July 4, 2007 they carried out a massive commemoration in Normandy, at which 2,500 French volunteers gathered on Omaha Beach, forming the words “France will never forget” on the sand, behind enormous American and French flags. (See the video here)

Those same mammoth flags will be used in the 10th anniversary ceremony in Paris on September 11, 2011. The idea to create the powerful visual symbol of the Eiffel Tower flanked by Twin Tower replicas began with association co-founder Jean-Pierre Heim, an architect who had participated in the national competition for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site. Enormous work and effort have already gone into planning and fundraising, according to Millet; then there will be the actual construction job in Paris. “It will take about two days to build the structures, a day for the event, and a day to dismantle.”

More details and a roster of participating officials will be finalized in the coming weeks, but the preliminary program is in place. Scheduled to coincide roughly with the timing of the 2001 attacks, the event will begin at 2:25 pm with music and the arrival of the flags, brought by a procession of children. Speeches in French and English will follow, along with the national anthems, selections of orchestral and choral music, poetry readings, videos of the 9/11 events and moments of silence. One of the New York firefighters who rescued survivors will be honored, and the event will close at 4:30 pm.

An evening candlelight vigil is also planned. Starting at 8:30 pm, it will include images as well as music by children’s choirs, the Académie de Musique du Palais-Royal, and young performers from the US. As night falls, lasers will beam from the top of the replica towers toward the Eiffel Tower, another reminder of the bond between France and America that inspired the creation of The French Will Never Forget.

For more information on the event and the association: website