Looking Back Part 8 – A Cinderella Evening

In 1967 my husband returned from Vietnam and after a month’s leave, we left the states for his new assignment to an air base in Wiesbaden, Germany. Our daughter, Robyn, was nine months old we were excited about picking up the pieces of our lives after Vietnam and making the most of the three year tour in Europe.

As many of you who have been reading these posts of mine know, my husband was a silver medalist in the 1964 Olympics and soon after we arrived in Germany he discovered that one of his team mates, who was in the army, was also stationed in Germany. The two of them became part of an American fencing team that was entered in several fencing tournaments in several countries. The first one was in Milan, Italy. We went by train and took our daughter and had a great trip. Shortly after that David told me that the team had been invited by the Commander of the French Forces in Germany, General Jacques Massu, to participate in a tournament in Baden-Baden.

The fencing tournaments in Europe were quite different from the ones in the states. At the finish of this particular tournament, the finalists would compete in the evening at a formal occasion. The award ceremony for the winning team would be followed by a formal ball. It all sounded very exciting! I set about shopping for an evening gown to wear – just in case the American team won. Our team members weren’t too excited about the tournament as they figured the French or the Germans would take the honors.

A couple we had become good friends with and who had a daughter about the same age as Robyn, suggested that she stay with them for the two nights that we would be gone. Three days later we packed the car with fencing gear and formal attire for both of us – just in case.

The unexpected happened and the US Military Fencing Team was one of the two finalists of the tournament and the excitement really heated up! I got all decked out in a flaming red silk formal and David carried his dress uniform with him to site of the finals/ballroom.

Candlelit dinner tables were set up around the room with the fencing strips down the middle of the floor, the crowd of French military officers, their wives and the wives of those participating in the finals began to fill the room and we were escorted to our tables by members of the French Military. I happened to be seated at a table in the front row so I had the perfect view of the fencing strip.

And the finals began.

The American team did very well from the beginning and I was so excited! And never having been one to sit back quietly and mind my manners, I was soon jumping up and down – formal gown and all. When there was a break, one of the women at my table nudged me and nodded her head toward the table where General Massu and his wife, Suzanne, were sitting along with members of his staff. The general was standing, looking at me and raising a glass of champagne. I stood and acknowledged the toast and raised my own glass. There was a big round of applause. I still feel pretty sure that David was shaking his head wondering just what in the hell I would do next.

The final round found the United States Fencing Team winners of the Military Tournament that night. The fencing strips were removed while the fencers received their awards and were applauded. Trophy in hand, they went to change into their formal attire.

The orchestra settled into one end of the ballroom and the music began. A few minutes later, General Massu walked across the floor and asked me for the opening dance. Oh, yes, it was indeed a Cinderella moment! As we danced he complimented the American Team and David and my gown. When the music stopped, he led me to his table where he introduced me to his wife and the members of their party. Then he walked me back to my table, where he bowed and kissed my hand. The whole room applauded. The American team had indeed won the day!

Needless to say, it was a fantastic, fun evening. Most definitely a night I will never forget.

Several months later I ran across an article in a military paper that told of a book that Suzanne Massu had written about her experiences as an ambulance driver during WW II and how she had met her husband, the general. I read the book and wrote her a note telling her how much I enjoyed it. I had a lovely letter back from her, telling me how much she had enjoyed meeting us. She told me that it was very encouraging to meet two Americans who had risen above the prejudice still so prevalent in our country at that time.

I often hear people in this country complain about the French and their attitude regarding the United States, but a lot of that is our own fault with the attitude that many take to other countries. David and I were an unusual couple back then, but I think it was more than that. It was our willingness to learn or attempt to learn at least a little of the language of other countries, their history, their culture. Whatever it was, we were treated with so much kindness and consideration and respect -- wherever we went.

Suzanne Massu died in 1977. General Massu retired from the military in 1969. He died October 26, 2002, he was 94.