2023-09-12 13:43:49
“The life of Hubert Germain is an anthology of commitment and courage”: the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron saluted the “ultimate hero” of the 1,038 Companions of the Liberation during a national tribute Friday in the courtyard des Invalides, in Paris. Hubert Germain died Tuesday at the age of 101.
“At dawn as at dusk, Hubert Germain was the last to give up his arms,” continued the head of state, also praising the “spirit” and “determination” of this “resistance fighter from the start,” become over time “the very incarnation of all (his) Companions”.
The president once again greeted the Companions of the Liberation, “this circle which raised France from the abyss”, of which Hubert had been a part since 1944, in a speech marked with recognition and tenderness for the one who spent “a life of resistance and hope.”
Emmanuel Macron, who commemorated alongside Hubert Germain the 81st anniversary of the appeal of June 18, 1940, also made the “oath” to continue the memorial work, so dear to this Companion of the Liberation, who loved to bear witness in particular in educational establishments.
“Last honorary chancellor of the Order of the Liberation, he fanned its burning embers until his last breath, they will not go out with him,” promised Emmanuel Macron, in front of several relatives of the Companions’ families of the Liberation and members of the government including Prime Minister Jean Castex. “Our task will be to continue this fight with the same ardor,” said Emmanuel Macron. “The millennial silence of the French spirit of resistance and relentlessness accompanies you,” he continued.
Former Gaullist deputy and minister of Georges Pompidou (1972-1974), grand cross of the Legion of Honor, Hubert Germain celebrated his 101st birthday on August 6. He joined General de Gaulle in London in June 1940, then fought in the Foreign Legion. Seriously injured in May 1944 in Italy, he participated in the Allied landings in Provence in August of the same year.
Final tribute to Mont-Valérien
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Thierry Burkhard nourishes “an immense admiration for this fighter of Free France, Companion of the Liberation, whose journey, commitment, courage and determination must inspire us”.
After this national tribute, Emmanuel Macron will also preside over the burial ceremony of Hubert Germain on November 11 at the Arc de Triomphe and Mont-Valérien, the main place of execution of resistance fighters during the Second World War, where his body will rest in the crypt of the combatant France memorial. Only 1,038 people, including six women, received the title of Companion of the Liberation.
#Tribute #Hubert #Germain #Macron #salutes #ultimate #hero #Companions #Liberation