PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy paid homage Friday on a Riviera beach to soldiers from French colonies who 65 years ago landed in southern France to help defeat the Nazis in what is known as the "forgotten D-Day.”
But in Paris, these colonial soldiers who slipped off the pages of history — and also the French bankroll — demonstrated, still hoping for a larger military pension for the estimated 80,000 of them still alive.
Without waiting for the August anniversary of the landing in Provence, Sarkozy used the 64th anniversary of Victory in Europe to praise those who have received little recognition for their feat.
The Aug. 15, 1944, landing in Provence may not have decided the war, but it "played an absolutely decisive role in France’s participation in the final victory,” Sarkozy said.
French forces, including those from African colonies, played a major role in liberating southern France. Some veterans of the former African colonies are still pressing for a pension equal to that of French veterans, after decades of earning 30 percent or less of what their French colleagues earn.
The government had argued that the difference was due to varying costs of living in France and former colonies.
by the associated press
But in Paris, these colonial soldiers who slipped off the pages of history — and also the French bankroll — demonstrated, still hoping for a larger military pension for the estimated 80,000 of them still alive.
Without waiting for the August anniversary of the landing in Provence, Sarkozy used the 64th anniversary of Victory in Europe to praise those who have received little recognition for their feat.
The Aug. 15, 1944, landing in Provence may not have decided the war, but it "played an absolutely decisive role in France’s participation in the final victory,” Sarkozy said.
French forces, including those from African colonies, played a major role in liberating southern France. Some veterans of the former African colonies are still pressing for a pension equal to that of French veterans, after decades of earning 30 percent or less of what their French colleagues earn.
The government had argued that the difference was due to varying costs of living in France and former colonies.
by the associated press
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