On Monday 11 November, the French naval base ‘Camp de la Paix’ in Abu Dhabi hosted a commemoration ceremony dedicated to the soldiers who fell in the First World War and to all those who died for France.
This solemn moment, marked by respect and remembrance, took place in the presence of His Excellency Ambassador Nicolas Niemthinow and Rear-Admiral Hugues Lainé, Commander of the French Forces in the United Arab Emirates.
Rear Admiral Lainé took the floor to honour the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers who fought for freedom. The Ambassador then relayed the words of the Minister for the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, stressing the importance of the duty of remembrance and passing on this history to the younger generations.
It was 106 years ago, in 1918. At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, from the muddy fields of Flanders to the Swiss border, the bugles sounded the notes of the “ceasefire.” Alongside the pride of victory marched the shadows of those who had fallen on foreign soil, accompanied by the grief of those left behind. Today, we honor their sacrifices, and since 2012, we have extended this remembrance to include all those who have died for France.
Honoring their memory means listening to what they still tell us today. They leave us with a duty of gratitude, vigilance, and hope.
The duty of gratitude is simply remembering the sacrifice of these young men, full of life’s promise, who gave everything so that France could endure. The trials they faced were unimaginable.
To better understand, let us hear the words of a witness, General de Castelnau. Their lives meant “marching, marching again, and marching still, half-dead with exhaustion, soaked to the bone, frozen with cold or scorched by heat and thirst under the blazing sun of a torrid day (…). Climbing the slopes of terrain under the heavy weight of a pack, charging with bayonets fixed amidst the whistling of bullets, the crackle of machine guns, and the roar of shells. Fighting by day, fighting by night, never resting; dying anonymously in the furrow of a field.”
The duty of vigilance reminds us not to forget that 21 years after the guns fell silent, war returned in 1939. The combination of cowardice and complacency had turned the “war to end all wars” into what Marshal Foch called a “20-year armistice.” At a time when war has tragically returned to Europe, and when certain powers challenge the very foundations of international order and law, the voices of 1914, and of all wars, urge us to continue defending peace.
The duty of hope calls us never to doubt France’s capacity to overcome the challenges it faces. While the face of war changes, generation after generation, the soldiers of France remain driven by the same resolve to defend honor and homeland.
This year, as we mark the 80th anniversary of the Liberation, let us remember the soldiers of the Kieffer commando who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944; the troops of General de Lattre’s First Army who landed in Provence; the soldiers of General Leclerc’s Second Armored Division who marched from the desert at Kufra to liberate Strasbourg and fulfill their oath; the heroes of the French Resistance; the harrowing plight of forcibly conscripted Alsatians and Mosellans; the bravery of the paratroopers at Dien Bien Phu; and the courage of those fighting in overseas operations, particularly in Lebanon, where they have defended peace since 1978. How can we not see that these fighters resemble, as brothers, the soldiers of 1914?
Throughout our history, the soldiers who have died for France, for the service of the nation, or for the Republic, remind us of the enduring values of France. Always, our armed forces are there to fulfill their mission.
This is why, gathered today at the foot of the monument to the fallen—elected officials, veterans from every generation of conflict, schoolchildren—we are not only the guardians of the dead; we are, above all, the sentinels of the living.
Long live the Republic!
Long live France!
The ceremony also saw the award of the Légion d’honneur and the médaille d’or de la Défense nationale to deserving servicemen and women.
Students from the Louis Massignon and Théodore Monod international French lycées took part in this tribute by visiting various stands presenting the French armed forces. The air force, army and navy were all present, giving young people an insight into their missions and roles.
The Camp de la Paix naval base, inaugurated in May 2009 by President Nicolas Sarkozy, is a strategic location for France in the Gulf region. Located on the shores of the Strait of Hormuz, it houses around 700 military personnel for the FFEAU and comprises a naval base, an air base and a land training camp, symbolising France’s commitment to security and stability in the region.
