CARENTAN: It might have been the longest wait but on Saturday 100-year-old American World War II veteran Harold Terens married his 96-year-old fiancee in Normandy, just days after being honoured on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in northwestern France.

To the sounds of “I will always love you”, “Ave Maria” and bagpipes, Terens and his sweetheart Jeanne Swerlin said “I do” in the town of Carentan-les-Marais at a ceremony attended by dozens of guests, some wearing military uniforms.

“I waited 96 years to find the right man and now I have a wedding like only a queen and king can have,” Swerlin said before the ceremony. “I feel young again,” Terens said. “It’s the best time of my entire life.” Terens, who wore a light blue suit, entered the local wedding hall to applause from family and friends. Dressed in satin pink, Swerlin made her entrance to the sound of Whitney Houston’s “I will always love you.” The bride and groom embraced, swaying with emotion.

“Oui!” Swerlin said in French when asked by the mayor, Jean-Pierre Lhonneur, if she wished to take Terens to be her husband. Terens and Swerlin, who live in Boca Raton, Florida, tied the knot after commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the June 6, 1944 Normandy landings, with US President Joe Biden, Britain’s King Charles III, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron in attendance.

“My religion is love,” Terens said.

He said he always taught his family to “just love”.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2024