About a year ago I wrote about Operation Dragoon and a ceremony held in Draguignan, France to remember and pay tribute those who served and gave their lives for freedom. While last year’s ceremony was extra special because it was the 80th Anniversary of Operation Dragoon (see post from Aug 2024 for details), there will be a ceremony this year on Memorial Day, 25 May, 2025 held at the Rhone American Cemetery in Draguignan, France.
If any of my readers are planning a trip overseas this year, perhaps you can put this on your travel agenda. The remains of two 417th squadron members: Edward Graybill and Harvey Klein are interred here.
Here is the formal invite:
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Dear friends and partners,
We are honored to invite you to the Memorial Day ceremony, which will take place on May 25, 2025, at the Rhone American Cemetery in Draguignan. This event is a solemn occasion to pay tribute to those who served and sacrificed for our freedom.
To facilitate your reception and for security reasons, we kindly ask you to confirm your attendance by providing the full names for all those who will be present.
Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you at this moment of remembrance.
Sincerely,
Jenny Hofschneider
Cemetery Associate-Guide
American Battle Monuments Commission | Rhône American Cemetery
553 Boulevard John Kennedy | 83300 Draguignan, France
T +33 (0)4 94 85 48 52
Hello. I am a local historian based near Scorton, a small village in North Yorkshire, England which was honoured to have been the base for the 417th for a few short months in 1943 while flying Beaufighter Mk VI aircraft. While their stay was relatively short, they and the other USAAF squadrons based at RAF Scorton (Station AAF-425) during WW2 are well remembered locally. My Wife and I would like to confirm our attendance and we respectfully ask to lay a small wreath to honour those brave servicemen who defended our country in the name of the local community here, near Scorton, England.
If it is of any interest, my “History of Scorton Airfield” is available on the website: bromptononswlaehistory.com where there is also a post about Raymond Christensen who served with the 417th and was killed in action off Corsica in 1944.