When Harold Terens first traveled to Normandy, he was 20 years old and a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Forces, tasked with bringing released American prisoners of war to England a few days after D-Day in 1944. Liberating Europe from Nazi occupation.
Eighty years later, Terens returned to northern France with another mission: to marry his sweetheart, Jeanne Swerlin.
“I am blessed to be married to a beautiful girl, probably the smartest, wittiest, best dancer and funniest girl I have ever known,” Terens said last week. Wedding ceremony.
“She is the best of all the rest,” he added.
Terens, 100, and Swerlin, 96, both grew up in New York City but didn't meet until 2021, when Swerlin's ex-partner's daughter introduced them. Terens and Swerlin were widowed at the time. Although Terrence had sworn off dating at the time, he felt an immediate connection with Swalin after the two were invited to go out to dinner, the Associated Press reported.
On Saturday, the couple exchanged vows at a city hall in Carentan, a small port town near the beach where Allied troops landed during World War II. The city is also famous for the Battle of Carentan, where American paratroopers fought to secure the link between the landing beaches of Omaha and Utah shortly after D-Day.
After the wedding, the couple was invited to a special state dinner held at the Elysee Palace along with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Biden.
“Congratulations to the newlyweds,” Macron said, as prominent French figures, celebrities and business leaders cheered Terence and Sberlin.
This comes days after Terence and dozens of other World War II veterans received commendations from France at a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. European leaders including Macron and Biden also attended this event.
On D-Day 1944, Terens was in England working on radio and helping repair combat planes. Twelve days later, he volunteered to go to Normandy and help bring back American and British prisoners of war who had previously been held in German camps.
Terence is said to have completed his military service in 1945 and worked for a large British company distributing beer, cigarettes, and other goods. South Florida Sun Sentinel.