An 85-year-old Frenchman has finally tracked down the descendants of an American soldier who died during World War Two shortly after tousling his hair and giving him some chewing gum.
Born in 1939, Robert Gohin has memories from a very young age of the conflict.
“From the age of three-and-a-half, I knew something was not normal.
“I remember the Germans being in the streets, breaking down the door of a nearby house and taking away the man who lived there. I also remember the planes flying overhead, although our town was never bombed,” he told The Connexion.
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Lasting impression
At the age of five, Robert Gohin, who lived in a hospital due to his father being a nurse, saw a US soldier being stretchered in.
He had been shot by one of the few remaining German soldiers in a skirmish and was severely injured.
“I remember my dad shouting: ‘Go, go, go quickly, we need to get him inside!’ However, when he saw me, he said something to the other American soldiers, who then called me over,” Mr Gohin said.
“He ran his fingers through my hair and stroked my head. I vividly remember that he had such a gentle voice.”
The soldier, Captain Benz, also gave him some chewing gum, before succumbing to his injuries a short time later.
A plaque was placed by the town of Coulommiers (Seine-et-Marne) at the site where the captain was shot.
Libération memories
At the age of 16, Mr Gohin was part of a band that played the US anthem in remembrance of the Libération and memories came flooding back.
Later, after himself being a soldier in Algeria, he got married and had a son, which once again made him think back to Captain Benz.
“Something clicked in my mind when I saw my son and I realised that he [Captain Benz] probably had a child back in the US that I reminded him of, which was why he wanted to see me.”
Once his son had grown up, having heard the story several times, he decided to write to the American embassy in Paris to try and help his father find Captain Benz’s descendants.
Responses included letters from the University of Michigan, which the captain had attended.
Mr Gohin discovered that Captain Benz had a daughter he had never met. His wife was pregnant when he left for France and so he only knew about her through letters.
“I was the reminder of the daughter he had never met,” concluded Mr Grohin.
With the advent of the internet, Mr Gohin and his son doubled efforts to find the family, but the lead had gone cold as the captain’s wife and daughter had married and therefore changed names.
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Final breakthrough
Two-and-a-half years ago, Mr Gohin’s son suddenly received an email from a woman living in Florida, who had been surprised to hear of these French people looking for a US soldier who died during the war. She was even more surprised by their name: her mother was also a Gohin, a cousin.
The woman, named Danielle, spoke French and told Mr Gohin’s son that she might have more luck searching for the captain’s family as she was in the US and spoke English.
“Then, there was the bingo moment! She managed to find the captain’s grandson, named Gregory, who lived half an hour away from her in Florida.”
At first, the grandson did not believe the story, but photos and names managed to convince him.
“He had never heard the tale as neither his grandmother nor mother knew it either. We managed to give him back a piece of his history,” said Mr Grohin.
Captain Benz’ grandson and the woman who helped find him were due to travel to France for the 80th anniversary of the Liberation this year, but had to cancel at the last minute. They hope to fly over soon.
Mr Gohin was able to locate where the captain was buried and has subsequently visited his grave: “Believe me, I had tears in my eyes when I looked at his tomb, to see the man who died for my freedom.
Giving thanks for freedom
“I felt pure gratitude to him. If I was allowed to live free in my country, it was thanks to the Americans. All my life I have felt this gratitude towards the Americans.
“The captain died for my freedom and that was why I wanted to track down his family. I wanted to tell them his story and let them know he is still in my heart.
“I wanted them to understand how much it mattered to me. When I found out that he had a family, it became my life’s mission to meet them.
“I would love to meet them properly in person, but I am relieved that I could at least tell his story.”
Mr Gohin played a role in his local remembrance celebrations in August as a flag bearer, and his story was told to a large audience.
He was also awarded a US flag by the president of a veteran’s association as thanks for honouring the memory of American soldiers.
“That flag is extremely precious to me,” he said.
