ecovlke's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- French World War I Veteran's Passing French World War I Veteran's Passing (AP) Rene Riffaud, one of France's last World War I veterans, died Tuesday January 9th in Paris, leaving just three known French survivors of the 1914-18 conflict. He was 108. Of the three surviving World War I veterans, the oldest-is 109, according to the veterans' office. Only belatedly, in 2006, did France recognize Riffaud as a veteran of the war, giving him an official veteran's card after his granddaughter brought his case to the government's attention. The Veterans Office said he was born Dec. 12, 1898, in Tunisia and joined a colonial artillery unit in April 1917. He told the AP he was in a village in eastern France when the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918. 9:59 a.m. - 2007-01-27 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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