When I was a boy, Nov. 11 was known as Armistice Day rather than Veteran’s Day. My dad told my brother and I about being in France when “the war to end all wars” ended. He said it was an eerie feeling at eleven o’clock to hear all of the village church bells ringing in the rural area where his signal corps outfit was stationed. He also talked about how the American troops were greeted with open arms, and were treated to the finest French wines.  In my parent’s picture album is a photo of Dad, standing under the Arc de Triomphe.  He told us boys that while standing there he sold an army raincoat to a Frog (French Civilian).  My namesake was my dad’s war buddy – Cecil Fraser.  The folks named me Cecil Fraser Hall when I was born in 1924, and I hated the name until 1947 when Cecil Fraser and his wife came to Saguache to visit my parents.  He was a neat person and after meeting him I’ve liked my name.  Dad said that Cecil Fraser snapped the picture of him under the Arc de Triomphe.

It was 27 years later, in 1945, that I also stood under the Arc de Triomphe, while on leave in Paris.  I didn’t have a camera when I was overseas, and I have regretted that I didn’t have my picture taken at the site of this historic landmark!  I didn’t sell any army equipment to the civilians ‘cause I had something else that was much in demand – American cigarettes.  All of us GI’s got a weekly cigarette ration and since I have never smoked, I had it made!  Lucky Strike, Camels, Chesterfields, Old Golds were great trading wampum but you couldn’t peddle some of the off brand stuff, such as Dominoes, twenty Grands and others which I have forgotten the names of.

Eighty years after my dad was in Paris and 27 years after I was there, my grandson, Jon Welker visited Paris in 1998.  Before he left the States, I told Jon to have his picture taken beneath the Arc de Triomphe.  Bless his heart, he did, so I now have pictures of two real special people of my family.  Guess I’ll just have to go back over there so I can get a picture of myself, so I can show three young fellows of the same family in the same beautiful place.