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Marthellen Hoffman could have sent a card, or even flowers, to the French Resistance members who rescued her uncle 60 years ago, when his plane was shot down over southern France.
But that wouldn't have conveyed the proper gratitude, so Hoffman decided to thank them in person.
And while she was going abroad anyway, she thought, why not take commendations from local and state officials, thanking those who risked their lives during World War II?
Hoffman, who lives in Lake of the Woods, will set out on her "people-to-people mission" on March 22. She and her husband, Ed, will travel more than 4,000 miles, round up three generations of her family, and deliver official--and personal--thanks to as many French Resistance members, and their children and grandchildren, as they can find.
"We are so grateful for what they did during the war, for the sacrifices they made," she said.
Hoffman, 68, is an accomplished harpist who plays with orchestras from Fredericksburg to Washington. She's retired from teaching music and has found more time for her other passion: history.
She was always close to her uncle and appreciated his war stories. She knew Lt. Nyle Jones Jr. was a co-pilot aboard a B-17 bomber, that he'd been shot down on his first combat mission, and that a farmer hid him from the Germans until the French Resistance rescued him.
She also knew he'd fought, side by side, with resistance members who refused to give in to Hitler's regime, after France surrendered to Germany in 1940.
Hoffman was proud that her uncle helped liberate several small villages in southern France, as did other Americans across the country. Her uncle said later he wished he'd been trained for hand-to-hand combat, but he fought well enough to earn the Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star.
And, Hoffman knew her uncle and the local leader of the resistance had become great friends, who kept in touch until her uncle died 10 years ago.
But she wanted to know more, to hear from those on both sides of the Atlantic.
She started talking with Berkeley Boyd, who also lives in the Orange County community, about his missions as a B-17 pilot.
Boyd, 80, didn't know her uncle, but had served with him in the 774th bomb squadron. That was part of the 463rd Bomb Group, 5th Wing, 15th Air Force.
Boyd encouraged Hoffman to find out as much as she could--and fast--because "we're all about to die off," he said.
He told her about military Web sites and veterans groups, then was impressed by her commitment.
"She's doing a wonderful thing," he said. "I have tremendous respect for her. It's one of the great things that happened in my life, to meet her."
Hoffman had no idea how readily she'd find details from six decades ago. Through Internet leads, military records and family correspondence, she's amassed a fascinating paper trail that runs from southern France to Midwestern America and beyond.
She's found official reports of her uncle's mission--to blow up a bridge--along with names of the nine others on-board and the numbers of men who died or were captured when they "fell down from the sky," as the French said.
Hoffman met the pilot flying her uncle's plane on Aug. 15, 1944. Adrian Swain, who now lives in Florida, wrote "The Time of My Life" about his experiences as a pilot and CIA agent in Vietnam.
Hoffman also has a letter from the grandchildren of the farmer who hid her uncle so long ago. They wrote Jones in 1981 and told him they'd found the identification he'd carried on him that day he landed in their grandfather's field. (It had been hidden in the barn all those years.)
The grandchildren sent their letter to the Iowa City address listed on Jones' driver's license.
Jones had since moved to Atlanta, but the Iowa City police chief remembered him and forwarded the French letter. In it, the grandchildren--ages 14 and 15--asked Jones if he'd write about his experiences for their high-school project.
He replied with 17 pages of memoirs that were eventually published in a French Resistance magazine. In the epilogue, Jones talked about his life after the war--his work as corporate psychologist and his marriage to an Iowa City girl and their three children.
"So, in large measure due to many friends in the Maquis [the French Resistance], I was given the chance to lead a full life. I know I speak for hundreds, if not thousands, of other young men who suddenly found themselves in enemy territory, and then received help from resistance forces. We are eternally grateful to you, particularly those who gave their lives that we might live."
Hoffman also stayed in touch with the French Resistance leader her uncle knew. Bertrand Morel-Journel still lives in a "petite chateau" near Lyon and told Hoffman in a 1994 letter that his home would always be open to her and her family.
Morel-Journel is 85 and "a wonderful gent," Hoffman said, who's helping with her mission. He's already found the son of one of the French Resistance members who fought with Hoffman's uncle to liberate Romans and Valence. This man will take the Hoffmans to those villages and show them where her uncle's parachute landed.
Hoffman hopes the same magazine that published her uncle's memoirs will report on her visit. She's taking framed commendations, thanking the French for their heroism, from Sen. George Allen, Rep. Eric Cantor and Del. Edward Scott.
Hoffman would be happy to deliver other letters from officials and residents who'd like to share her gesture of gratitude. Those interested should contact her by March 20 at 540/972-9393.
Hoffman believes the current tensions between the French and Americans are between politicians, not people. She says those who remember the events of 60 years ago are still thankful that people from another nation helped each other.
Marthellen Hoffman is--and she's crossing an ocean to show her gratitude.
To reach CATHY DYSON: 540/374-5425 cdyson@freelancestar.com