A war hero...

M. Delas

My name is Xavier Delas. My granddaughter insisted on doing this interview. She believes that I have had a great life and that I am a respectable man, but I am not really convinced… My life has indeed been full, but I think that I am like everybody else. I hope this is a good article; I can't check as I don't speak English at all!

I was born on the 20th of April 1932, in Clermont-Ferrand, where I spent my childhood and the duration of the Second World War. I don't remember having suffered from the cold during this terrible period as my father worked in a coal factory, so we had enough coal to keep us warm. However, I do remember the hunger pains on some days.

We left Clermont-Ferrand in 1952 to go to Bordeaux, and a few months later I decided to join the Saint-Cyr military academy. Just one year after my admission, I was mobilized for the war in Algeria. The period just before I left was both difficult and emotional; I felt very proud to be serving my country, but every day I was tormented by the fear of dying.

Two months before leaving, I met a wonderful woman, Marie Claude, and we fell head over heels in love. We started dating, I loved her and I knew she was the woman of my life. The day before my departure, I had a crazy idea. I asked Marie Claude if she would like to get engaged. She gladly accepted. We wrote to each other every day when I was on the front line. She gave me the courage I needed to resist and survive.

I lost my right arm and part of my left hand on the battlefield. Trying to save my men from an explosion that would have killed them all, I myself stepped on a mine. There were seven of us, but I could only save five of them. I was haunted for a very long time by the faces of the two men I was not able to save. I was taken to the famous Val-de-Grâce Hospital in Lyon. I was relieved to get away from the front, but ashamed to leave my men. They were constantly in my thoughts. Luckily, Marie Claude gave me her support and she treated my wounds. When I left Val-de-Grâce, I finally married her.

After the war, began a difficult period in our lives. I was a severely wounded veteran though barely 26 years old. I had underestimated how quickly I could recover the control of my body and get back to a normal life, but I had lost all my reflexes, and this was very scary and disturbing. I had to relearn everything. Simple everyday actions were a real test for me. The simple act of getting dressed in the morning took a lot of time and energy. Barely out of bed, I was already completely exhausted.

I had to get back to my studies, and for two years I worked very hard to learn new skills. And determination always pays off because, after a six month search, I found a job in a factory. I quickly climbed the echelons: after having been the stock then the sales manager, I finally become the managing director of the factory. I was 47 years old and I realized that I was a lucky man. I became aware of the beauty of life: I had fought in a war but hadn’t died, I had found the perfect woman twenty years previously and we were still in love, and we had three adorable daughters. One night, a voice told me to do something amazing with my family. For a week, I was totally lost and didn't know what to do…

In the end, I decided to drop everything and to travel around the world with my family for a whole year! We put all our hopes, all our money, and all our time into this project. And this journey was magical and totally crazy. It became the best experience of my entire life. We discovered new cultures, new languages and met so many different people. When we returned to France we were, all five of us, changed forever. Our vision of the world and of life weren't the same any more. As Marcel Proust wrote: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”. This sentence became very meaningful to us.

When we came back, I decided to return to Clermont-Ferrand. My company offered me a new job there. I took my retirement when I was sixty five years old.

Today, I am an old man, who plays games for the elderly! I'm really overwhelmed by all the new technology which I don't understand. I hope the younger generation will experience the satisfaction you can get in fighting for the job you want, working with determination, and achieving your dreams.

I have been married for sixty three years now; Marie Claude has been the woman of my life.

Article by Margot BERGE