Today's Date:

I express today the great sorrow and immense sadness of the whole nation at the death of Lazare Ponticelli, the last surviving French First World War soldier.

I salute the Italian boy who came to Paris to earn his living and who chose to become French: first, in August 1914 when, lying about his age, he joined the Foreign Legion at 16 to defend his adopted homeland, and, second, in 1921 when he decided to settle here permanently.

I pay tribute to the entrepreneur who, with the return of peace, created then developed a company which today employs several thousand people.

Through him, I pay tribute to the millions of “poilus”¹ who answered, with admirable daily courage, the call of the invaded homeland. They had left for the summer, for what was supposed to be the "der des der"² and fought for 52 months. 1.4 million of them never returned home.

It is our duty to place on record our grateful thanks to all the combatants, of all ranks, of all origins, of all faiths, which gave France the victory.

It is our duty to remember that despite the deaths of 900 soldiers a day for over four years, our country held out to the end.

Lazare Ponticelli thought he owed a lot to France. I affirm today that it is our country which owes a debt to him, since he gave his all, both in the darkest hours and on happier days. It is to him and his generation that we owe in large part the peaceful Europe. It is up to us to be worthy of it.

To his daughter, to all his family, I extend the nation's condolences and my heartfelt sympathy.

A national tribute to all the French mobilized during the First World War will be paid in the next few days./.

¹ French First World War infantryman
² "war to end all wars"