The emotion of the families of dead soldiers in "Opex" in front of the monument in their memory inaugurated by Emmanuel Macron

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"Whoever dies for France does not die vain". By these few words, Emmanuel Macron paid tribute "to the supreme sacrifice" of the 549 soldiers who died since 1963 for France in foreign operations, on 17 foreign theaters of operation. These soldiers who lost their lives outside our borders, have since Monday their names engraved on a monument in their memory in Paris. The President of the Republic laid a wreath in front of the six silhouettes of soldiers, in bronze, and who carry an invisible coffin on their heads, dressed in a different hat representing the various army corps, so that everyone can identify a close .

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Knowing that his name is marked brings us back to the sad reality that he really started

Pauline lost her husband, Alexandre, during an operation in Mali. She came Monday with her two daughters, aged four and seven. The youngest has never known her father. "Alexander is our hero," describes Pauline, who explains her daughters "need to know that their daddy existed". The inauguration of this moment is a moment of "emotion" for the mother of a family, difficult to live, because she could never "say goodbye to her husband". "To know that his name is marked brings us back to the sad reality, that he has really left," she admits.

Like Alexandre, Danièle's brother has also fallen for France. It was 22 years ago in the Central African Republic. Even if time passes, the pain is still as strong, especially since he is buried in Toulouse, 700 kilometers from home. Danièle does not have "the opportunity to go often on his grave". "Somewhere, this may be a replacement," she says. "He will always be there, when we see his name, we are proud." Danièle now expects the crowd to be gone to return in the coming days on the site. She will drop at the foot of the monument a bouquet of lilies, the favorite flowers of his brother.