Today's Date:

Mr President

Veterans Association

Dear Mr....,

It is my pleasure to inform you that the French authorities have decided to issue a certificate to recognize the participation of all American and allied soldiers who took part in the Normandy landing and contributed to the liberation of France.

In agreement with the Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs, The Honorable Hershel W. Gober, I come to you to request your association’s assistance in identifying all elegible veterans. The certificate is meant to express the gratitude of the French people to the soldiers who participated in the Normandy landing and liberation of France, on French territory and in French territorial waters and airspace, between June 6, 1944 and May 8, 1945. The certificate will not be issued posthumously.

The ten Consuls General of France in the United States will issue the certificates on behalf of the French authorities. They will do so in coordination with State Veterans Affairs Offices, Veterans Service Organizations’ national and states representatives and, hopefully, with the assistance of your association and other Veterans organizations.

Indeed, owing to the huge number of qualifying veterans, it will be necessary for us to work through this project with Veterans associations and organizations and their members on a volunteer basis, in each of the fifty states, in order to identify the qualifying veterans, review and certify the applications, prepare the certificates and organize the ceremonies to present them to the veterans.

To orient our work, it would be extremely useful that your representatives in each state contact the Consuls General of France--whose list is attached to this letter--so that they can start working with them state by state. You will find enclosed the application form and instructions on how to apply. More information is also available on the Embassy’s web site: http://www.ambafrance-us.org. You will also find herewith a short presentation of the project for the purpose of information of your members.

Thanking you in advance.

Yours sincerely,

François Bujon de l'Estang