LAFAYETTE, La. — It's Veterans Day and over at Cite des Arts
they are honoring the Cajun French veterans for their bravery and language skills.
It was all about remembering the "Frenchies". Veterans from South Louisiana that spoke Cajun French and became an asset during the nation's most difficult times.
Jason Theriot is a local historian who has been interviewing Cajun veterans and how their linguistic skills gave them advantages during the war.
"The Frenchies of the great World War II generation were the last generation to grow speaking French as their first language," says Theriot. "There's not that many left and so it's important for us to document their stories and share that with everyone else but also celebrate the great accomplishments that they had and the role they had played in, not only defending our freedom but preserving our culture."
Born and raised in Rayne, Shirley Guidry is a Cajun French World War II veteran. His knowing of the French language made him useful and well liked in France.
"I was the most popular man in the outpit," he says. "Hey Guidry come here, they called me Guidry!"
Guidry served as both an engineer and French interpreter. He tells KATC that this made the French people connect and trust him more.
"They had to slow down, I said slow down so we can understand and that's how we understood each other," he says.
Rodolphe Sambou is the French Consulate General of Louisiana and New Orleans. He says that the city itself and the Cajun French speaking veterans created a tie like no other.
"It's Lafayette and it's a strong symbol of friendship and strong bonds of between French and Louisiana and more broadly France and the United States," says Sambou.
