Lloyd and Sheri Levin went on a trip this summer that they say they will never forget, to honor a relative alongside the people of France. Here are six things to know about it:
- SILVER STAR: U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Arthur Grossman, a Wisconsinite who died while serving in France during World War II, was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.
- CONNECTION MADE: Last year, Joseph Collet, former mayor of the small farming village of Trévé, France, contacted Jay Hyland, archivist for Jewish Museum Milwaukee to ask about Grossman. Collet had seen Grossman’s name memorialized on a plaque in Trévé and reached out after finding Jewish Museum Milwaukee records on Grossman online.
- PLANNING COMMEMORATION: Collet wanted to learn more about Grossman, an American soldier killed in World War II in the small French village. He was working towards a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of August 4, 1944, remembered both as a key date in the liberation of Brittany, France and for the unfortunate deaths of Grossman and two members of the French resistance.
- I WILL COME: Hyland connected Collet with Grossman’s relative, Lloyd Levin, and the Wisconsin resident quickly agreed to attend the commemoration in France.
- IN A JEEP: The Aug. 4, 2024, commemoration featured reenactors and a parade – Lloyd Levin rode in a Jeep with the parade. Lloyd and Sheri Levin said the people there, at several events, repeatedly expressed appreciation for their visit and for the sacrifices of the Allies during World War II.
- APPRECIATION: “They honored us, honored us with their love and their appreciation of what my country did,” Lloyd said
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Read more about the Levins’ trip, “Wisconsinites in France honored a solider.”
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