American President Joe Biden is to visit Aisne in the north of France this Sunday (June 9) for a “strictly private” trip to Bois Belleau, where 2,000 American soldiers died during World War One.
The site is where US Marines fought to stop the German army from advancing on Paris in June 1918. The fight later became known as the Battle of Belleau Wood.
Mr Biden’s visit comes after he attended - and made a speech at - the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer (Normandy) as part of a series of commemoration ceremonies held yesterday (June 6).
President Emmanuel Macron also gave a speech to honour the soldiers who landed on Normandy beaches in 1944.
Addressing the crowd at the American ceremony, Mr Macron said (in French): “These humble white tombs, which are within reach just behind you, are one of the most moving places in France.”
He added that he was honouring a people that “was ready to die on land that was not their own but for a cause that was their own”.
“Here is the secular link between our two nations, our two republics, that renews and asserts itself, a link of blood spilt for freedom,” he said.
In his own 15-minute speech, Mr Biden honoured the veterans who gave their lives 80 years ago, saying: “History tells us freedom is not free. You want to know the price of freedom, come to Normandy to look.”
At Bois Belleau, the nearby village in Aisne (Hauts-de-France) is home to around 140 residents. One told France 3: “We're delighted that an American president is coming here. A few years ago, we had a little missed appointment with a former president.”
This was a reference to former President Donald Trump, who had been scheduled to visit the site in November 2018 for a centenary memorial event. However, at the last minute, he cancelled, blaming poor weather.
Two years later, the US magazine The Atlantic reported that Mr Trump had said: “Why would I go to this cemetery? It's full of losers.”
The White House later denied this statement.
Ahead of Mr Trump’s visit, several local residents had gathered at the memorial site to see the visit, but went home disappointed.
