WWII veteran, 100, and 96-year-old sweetheart wed close to D-Day seashores
A World War II veteran and centenarian and his 96-year-old sweetheart bride tied the knot near the D-Day beaches of Normandy.
On June 8, Harold Terens and Jeanne Swerlin tied the knot inland of the D-Day beaches in Normandy, France.
Beaming with joy, the couple who met in 2021 said ‘I do’ at the historic Carentan-les-Marais town hall, the same location the Allied forces invaded all those years ago, altering the course of war against the Nazis.
Terens, originally from the Bronx, New York, enlisted in the Army Air Force more than 80 years ago. He served in the military from 1942 until 1945 as a radio technician.
With a collective age nearing 200, the bubbly bride-to-be said on their way into the nuptials: ‘It’s not just for young people, love, you know? We get butterflies. And we get a little action, also.’
Pictured: 100-year-old American World War 2 veteran Harold Terens and his 96-year-old bride Jeanne Swerlin Terens kiss before taking their vows during at the Carentan-les-Marais Town Hall on June 8, 2024
Terens, originally from the Bronx, New York, enlisted in the Army Air Force more than 80 years ago. He served in the military from 1942 until 1945 as a radio technician
As the swing of Glenn Miller and other period tunes rang out on the streets, well-wishers lined up a good hour before the wedding
After both declaring ‘oui’ to vows read by Carentan’s mayor in English, the couple exchanged rings.
‘With this ring, I thee wed,’ Terens said. She giggled and gasped, ‘Really?’
With Champagne flutes in hand, they waved through an open window to the adoring crowds outside.
‘To everybody’s good health. And to peace in the world and the preservation of democracy all over the world and the end of the war in Ukraine and Gaza,’ Terens said as he and his bride then clinked glasses and drank.
The crowd yelled ‘la mariée!’ – the bride! – to Swerlin, who wore a long flowing dress of vibrant pink.
Terens looked dapper in a light blue suit and matching pink kerchief in his breast pocket.
Following the ceremony, they were invited to the state dinner at the Elysee Palace on Saturday night with French President Emmanuel Macron and President Biden.
‘Congratulations to the newlyweds,’ Macron said, prompting cheers and a standing ovation from other guests during the toast praising French-American friendship.
Together, the collective age of the bride and groom was nearly 200
Terens, left, and Jeanne Swerlin, 96, smile from a window after celebrating their wedding at the town hall of Carentan-les-Marais, in Normandy, northwestern France, where they were married by the mayor
The couple was set up by the daughter of Swerlin’s most recent partner, who died after sharing 25 years together
Terens became a Morse code operater and was paired with a four-pilot P-47 Thunderbolt fighter squadron when he shipped off to Great Britain in 1942.
None of the original pilots Terens worked with survived the war. On D-Day, Terens was sent to repair returning planes from France to they could rejoin the battle. Half of his company’s pilots died that day.
Terens was sent to Normandy twelve days after the landings to bring back the prisoners of war.
‘I brought back some American fliers that were released prisoners of war from German stalags,’ he said. ‘A bunch of emaciated pilots, bombardiers, navigators, gunners, all in very, very bad condition.’
‘I did that about six times — [also] bringing back Germans who were taken prisoner in Normandy, and some British soldiers as well.’
He said he still has nightmares about his time in the service, and didn’t even think he would return home to his family alive.
‘It was a disgusting war. Normandy was just a horror to look at. I still have nightmares about the war.’
‘I never thought I would ever see my mother, father, sister or brother again. I was going to get killed. This is how you feel when you are a kid, about 20 years old, and you are a soldier, and there’s a war on. What the hell? I was going to get killed anyway.’
On D-Day, Terens was sent to repair returning planes from France to they could rejoin the battle. Half of his company’s pilots died that day
Terens and Swerlin were flown to France courtesy of Delta for both the wedding and D-Day 80th anniversary celebrations through Delta Air Lines, who upholds a tradition of flying surviving veterans out to commemorate the historic invasion
While Terens was fighting in the war, she was in high school dating soldiers who brought her back gifts to impress her – a juxtaposition the two laugh about today
While Terens was fighting in the war, she was in high school dating soldiers who brought her back gifts to impress her – a juxtaposition the two laugh about today.
When he returned from the war, Terens married his first wife Thelma in 1948. The couple had two daughters and a son.
He became a U.S. vice president for a British conglomerate, while his wife was a French teacher. Thelma, who retired from teaching in 2006, died in 2018.
The couple had been married for 70 years and share eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Swerlin married her first husband at 21, whom she shares two daughters and a son with, but was widowed in her 40s. Her second husband died after 18 years of marriage.
She had a long-term partner, Sol Katz, for 25 years before he died in 2019. Swerlin has seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
