D-Day commemorations: tribute to Marcel Ouimet, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine

The mayor of Bernières-sur-Mer, Thomas Dupont-Federici, recalled, during the international commemoration ceremony he is hosting this year, that his municipality wanted to highlight the profession of war reporter .

” VSs we see in Ukraine, the war was fought on tanks, but it was also fought by the media. Disinformation is a weapon of war. Information is a weapon of peace. “

A weapon of peace that publishers sometimes have to look for at the risk of their lives. To get closer to the action, Marcel Ouimet sometimes sleeps under the stars or gets off in armored vehicles to take pictures, record sound, get close to people.

At a round table, journalists who are still active recalled that the war reporter profession has not changed significantly since then. We see, we listen to people, we analyze informationsaid Rémy Ourdan, of the daily The world, via videoconference from Ukraine, where he had just returned. He also stressed the difficulties in conquering this war intense and the need to follow the warriors if we want to get close to the line of fire.

Words reflect another colleague: cameraman Sylvain Castonguay. There are no 10 solutions to get closer to battles. If we are talking about conquering a battle, for example, it is not done at 100 kilometersexplanation of one who, holding the camera hand in hand, covered for Radio-Canada almost everything that happened as conflicts on the planet over 20 years.

Salute to the man

If Bernières-sur-Mer paid tribute to reporter Marcel Ouimet, the man’s family was also there.

His grandson Alex Ouimet-Storrs strikingly underlined all of his grandfather’s love for his wife Jacqueline. He also sent him hundreds of letters during his years as a war correspondent. He described to her what he had seen, what he had felt, what he had lived. And what he can’t say in the air, military censorship is required.

A new promenade also offers Marcel Ouimet to discover about these fifteen letters made on panels scattered throughout the town.

Myriam Moulin, a municipal councilor, commented on several panels during the inaugural visit. One of them shows how, very early, on June 24, 1944, Marcel Ouimet He lamented in his letters the damage caused by the Landings and was surprised to see that, in spite of everything, the French remained warm and welcoming..

Alex Ouimet-Storrs ’memory of his grandfather, who died when he was six years old, is that he was a good man.

” He cared about all French civilians. I think the right word to describe it is sensitive. “

The French -speaking landing voice

When the voice of Marcel Ouimet-the lone narrator in French-rang out in the plaza now called by his name, as loudspeakers broadcast extracts from his reports, Jean-Pierre and Nicole were moved. , two spectators. They were born in 1944, their whole lives they were thrilled with D-Day stories.

Jean-Pierre added that it was important to perform this type of ceremony in conjunction with the war letters fell while doing their job as a journalisthe said.

A clear reference to what was happening in Ukraine, a war that was also present in the minds of the participants in Berniéraise, a nautical and festive tribute to the landing and to the warriors who came by water to liberate France.

An organizer told us that some thought of bringing Ukrainian flags to the beach.

British veterans took part in the international commemoration ceremony, proud and happy to be present.

Many of them came to shake hands to thank you for going there, in 2022, but especially on June 6, 1944.

Alex Ouimet-Storrs also paid tribute to them, speaking about a great generation.

The town certainly carries Marcel Ouimet with its legacy, 78 years after he landed in Bernières-sur-Mer, holding his typewriter at arm’s length above the waves. The square that now bears his name, a stone’s throw from the beach, is a tribute to the man and to the journalist, but above all is always a reminder of the importance of information during the war.