Local couple part of sister city tour

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla --   Local French lessons turned into an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a couple stationed here.

Lt. Col. Kirk Rowe and his wife, Christina, recently returned from a trip with a Crestview delegation that visited their sister city in Noirmoutier-en-I'lle, France. While there, they helped the people of that city commemorate the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of France.

Although they live in Niceville, the Rowes were invited to be a part of the historic trip in May through Mrs. Rowe's French teacher, who also lives in Niceville. With only two months of French lessons under her belt, Mrs. Rowe knew that she and her husband, a clinical neuropsychologist and 96th Mental Health Flight Commander, couldn't pass up the chance to travel with the group. In less than two months, the Rowes made arrangements for their two children and travel plans to be part of a delegation that would further enhance the relationships between the two cities.

Colonel Rowe became the "unofficial" military representative for the group and, along with two retired Naval officers, placed a wreath on a monument honoring the war dead during a Fete de la Victoire, or Festival of Victory. But before the festivities began, the Rowes landed in Paris and then traveled by train to Nantes, where they spent six days with a host family.

"We kept asking ourselves if we were really here," said Mrs. Rowe.  "They treated us like we were celebrities and they were such gracious hosts."

"Celebrating the end of the war was a big deal in France," Colonel Rowe said. "In fact, they wondered why the Americans didn't celebrate the end of World War II like they do."

Organizers planned a full week of activities with the main event on May 8.

"It was lightly drizzling that morning as we met in town," Colonel Rowe remembered. "The clouds then parted and the sun shone for the ceremony and just long enough for seven parachutists to jump into the town square until it started raining again."

Following the playing of each country's national anthem, Mrs. Rowe said the mayor and a retired French Army general spoke of WW II and then the elderly French Resistance fighters sang a song in the shadow of a 12th century castle.

The hosts treated the delegation to rides in restored American Army tanks and jeeps, but the Rowes got lucky--they rode in style in a Peugeot Citroën in a parade along the harbor front.

The highlight of the trip for the couple was dinner at the home of a retired French Army general who spoke of being 9 yrs old and his memory of the Germans fleeing and the Americans arriving. Other guests also shared their stories.

"One woman who is 82 saw an American tank coming across the bridge and didn't know if it would make it," Colonel Rowe said. When the tank made it across and the French teenager at the time jumped onto the tank......The soldier said 'wait a minute' (after it crossed), went back down into his tank and brought up a bottle of champagne to celebrate."

"My teacher told of her father being a prisoner of war who escaped and she remembers walking next to the American tanks and her father lifting her up on his shoulders and then giving her to one of the American men on the tank," Mrs. Rowe said.

The Rowes brought back many memories and hope to be able to make a trip to France again. They felt no animosity for being Americans while traveling through the region. In fact, just the opposite was true.

"To be able to connect at the level we did was priceless," Mrs. Rowe said. "When would you be able to do that unless you're a young exchange student? We were able to connect with the people themselves and I had the feeling we are so much more alike than different. Might we have fewer international problems if we could see how similar we are?" That was likely some of President Eisenhower's intent when he initiated the program in the 1956.

The Rowes will test that theory this fall when they sponsor a high school exchange student from Japan for a year.