Memorial to Utah man killed in World War II unveiled in France

SALT LAKE CITY — Many of us feel a certain awe when we hear the tattoo and see the American flag.

Even though Camille Noel saw the ceremony take place before her eyes, she still couldn’t believe it.

“Oh, it was unbelievable,” she said. “I never thought something like that would happen.”

Noel, a resident of Utah, was in the small town of Épagne-Épagnette, France, on Saturday morning.

It was the unveiling of a memorial honoring the men shot down from a B-17 bomber during World War II.

They crashed near the city exactly 80 years ago to the day.

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Noel studied and wrote a school paper on one of the honored men, 2nd Lt. John “Jack” Lundberg.

Lundberg is from Val Verda, Utah, later known as Bountiful, where Noel grew up.

“When I started writing about him, I thought, this is a task and I’ll be done with it,” she said. “But then I thought, ‘Oh, I want to learn a little more.'”

This prompted Noel to contact a newspaper in the city where Lundberg’s plane had crashed.

These discussions eventually led to the city wanting to do something for the occupation.

On Saturday, all their planning and work was completed when a memorial was unveiled in honor of the men.

An emotional day

The incident brought tears to Noel’s eyes.

“One person after another came up to me. Even though they didn’t speak English, they talked to me and thanked me. It was just incredible,” said Noel.

Lundberg was 25 years old when he died.

He had just sent a letter to his family and wife expressing his love for them because he thought he wouldn’t make it home.

In this letter he wrote: “The United States of America is worth the sacrifice.”

“I think he knew how dangerous the mission was,” Noel said. “It’s just incredible that he knew he was most likely going to die and that he wanted to share those last words with his family.”

Now Lundberg will be honored forever in a French city.

It is a reminder of the true price of freedom that American soldiers had to pay for it.

“The people here really, really, really appreciate the sacrifices of the crew,” Noel said.

Lundberg is buried at the Normandy American Cemetery.