Before an assembly of elected officials, veterans, representatives of law enforcement, first responders, teachers, parents, and young municipal councilors, the mayor spoke of the sacrifice of French soldiers, particularly during World War I. He recalled that "one million four hundred thousand French and colonial soldiers did not return from hell" and that "France has engraved in stone the greatest register of youth in its entire history" on its war memorials.
The flame of remembrance, relit yesterday at Mont-Valérien and which crossed the city this morning, was central to the speech. "This flame, I personally want it to be with us at every November 11th commemoration," declared the mayor, seeing it as a symbol of the bond between men and generations. He emphasized that this flame represents three generations of youth: those who gave their lives, those who defended their memory, and those who receive it today.
Jacques Kossowski stressed the importance of transmitting memory to children. "Teaching a child the name of a deceased person is not teaching them about war: it is teaching them the price of peace and the importance of preserving it," he stated, refuting the idea of indoctrination or militarization of youth through commemoration. He thanked the teachers, parents, and especially the 5th-grade students from Jean Mermoz school for their rendition of the Marseillaise, as well as the young councilors of the CMJ.
The mayor recalled that since 2012, November 11th honors all those who died for France, in all conflicts, emphasizing that "the chain has never been broken" and that "French soldiers have fallen for our country" again this year. He addressed the veterans, acknowledging their work so that children could "grow up in peace in their city's square."
“"We will enter the career when our elders are no longer there; we will find their dust and the trace of their virtues there."
The speech concluded with thanks and a call to perpetuate memory to build a future of peace, drawing on the moral strength of past generations to reject hatred and war.
