Les Amis du Français en Vermillon (Friends of French in Vermillon), a non-profit and French speaking organization are welcoming WWII Navy Veteran, Jonas Perrin, as a special guest at their French table this Friday, July 30th.
Friends of French is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the French language and culture in Vermilion Parish, they say.
The WWII veteran, whose first operation was Pearl Harbor, will share historical moments of America's second war in French.
Born on February 18, 1926 in Prairie Greig, Louisiana, the 1942 Erath High School graduate enlisted in the Navy in February 1944, and shortly after training, reported to Pearl Harbor.
Two years after Pearl Harbor, in May of 1944, his flight crew, with the USS Reno, joined Admiral Halsey’s 5th Fleet to join the fight in the Pacific, escorting carriers and bombers to campaigns in the Philippines, Saipan, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, and Guam as a part of Admiral Nimitz’s 3rd Fleet, they say.
Perrin was a key figure in escorting the landing force to secure Guam, a key foothold for the US in the Pacific.
As near death experiences were no stranger to Perrin, attendees will be reminded of the price of freedom and be inspired by what the WWII Navy veteran will bring to the French table.
The organization hosts La Table Francaise every Friday at the Erath Public Library at 10 A.M. The library is located at: 111 W. Edwards St., Erath.
For more information on becoming a member of Les Amis du Français en Vermillon, please email: Layla Melancon , Director of Les Amis du Français en Vermillon, at vermilionfrench@gmail.com.
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