A Sequoia in Memory

In June, 1984 I read an article about a chateau in Quineville, France, by Jerry Payne and it touched my heart. He told of how in D-Day fighting in 1944 three GIs had been killed helping to retake the chateau; in the assault, an elm in the chateau courtyard was shattered, but the owner, Raymond Lemesle, restored to his property, left the stark tree as a memorial to the soldiers, and lay wildflowers at its base each day.

Finally, the stricken tree toppled, as the soldiers had, but I’m glad to report that English friends and I made it possible for the chateau owner to plant a sequoia in its place to be a continuing memorial. MARIE BELT Dana Point