Since September 2019, Air Corps General Hervé Longuet has chaired the National Union of Combatants. The former boss of BA 133 Nancy-Ochey, then of the Combat Air Force in Metz, between 2000 and 2003, now retired, was the guest of the Moselle congress of the UNC which was held this Sunday October 24 in Thionville.
Are your visits to the various departmental federations and sections of the UNC essential?
“Our organization is federal and it brings together activists of the fighting cause. From one region to another, the ideas to be transmitted are identical but the way of saying it differs. And we don’t communicate in the same way. Today we are at a turning point. We arrive at a renewal of generations. The whole difficulty is getting young people to turn to our association. Because we don’t know it enough. With military disaffection, the public no longer knows what a soldier is, what he does, why he goes on an Opex… ”
Indeed, Lorraine has lost many of its soldiers. You who ordered there, do you regret it?
“You have to be reasonable and accept that the army has had to adapt. But still, as far as I’m concerned, with a twinge of heart. With the closure of the sites, we have the impression that a whole shutter has fallen. It’s true. But the traditions remain. Hence the importance of integrating youth. “
In recent months, several French soldiers have lost their lives in Opex. What do you feel ?
“Today, when a soldier dies on the ground, it is known and it shows. There is real empathy and real compassion on the part of the French. But we live in a society of emotional zapping. We quickly forget… It hurts me, but I am very proud when I see these young people who go to the end of their conviction, even if it means giving up their lives. This community of values is strong. ”
–
