LONDON — A modest memorial in the sleepy French town of Frethun is a rare public reminder of the transatlantic alliance of NATO and those who have served its cause.
The unveiling of the ceremony for the memorial in 2012 was attended by NATO officers and their representatives. Each year an interfaith ceremony marks the sacrifices of the those who died and served in NATO missions. The event is usually held on or near September 11th.
Willy Breton, a former gendarmerie, is the president of the memorial foundation. Breton served under NATO command in both the Western Balkans and in Afghanistan. Yet, it was an incident in his later life that inspired him to start the memorial. The wider war in Afghanistan was an important turning point for NATO. When the United States invoked Article 5 of the Atlantic Charter in calling in response to 9/11 it was the first time a NATO member state had invoked the common defense agreement.
