GRAFTON - The Wayland-Hill American Legion Post # 648 Commander Bruce Olmsted and Auxiliary Treasurer Lula Flowers each presented a $500 check to Mrs. Christine Robertsen, Vice President of the Omaha Beach Bedford Association who has been visiting Grafton from France. The monies were given as a token of gratitude for the work Mrs. Robertsen does for our soldiers buried in France at the Normandy American Cemetery on the cliffs overlooking Omaha Beach.
“I am so deeply touched by this donation,” said Mrs. Robertsen during the small ceremony at City Hall. “The French people—we never forget what you have done for us; we love you and we will never forget.”
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She spoke to the Grafton Veteran’s Committee and Legion members at the Legion hall several weeks ago. She told them that she was only nine years old when the Germans invaded. She related stories of what it was like to live in occupied France in WWII. She also told them what a feeling of joy it was to be liberated by the Americans who pushed out from Omaha Beach.
She went on to tell the audience about her duties at the American Cemetery and with the Bedford Association. “We celebrate D-Day every year in Normandy, and we are now preparing for the 80th Anniversary in 2024,” said Christine. “Never forget.”
Mrs. Robertsen will return to France and her duties on December 7th after a two month visit in Grafton. “I will miss this beautiful town, the friendly people and the mighty Mississippi River,” commented Christine.
Photos provided by Dave Sanford, City Photographer.
