A 24-year-old man from France is traveling the country, collecting stories from World War Two veterans. Flo Plana recorded memories from several area vets last week:
Plana drives a dusty-looking RV that’s covered in signatures of more than 100 veterans he’s interviewed in the last year across 30 states. He says he first became interested in the American sacrifice on the beaches of Normandy in 1944.
“They fought for us 70 years ago, they crossed the Atlantic, now it’s my turn. But it’s less expensive to just ship one French than millions of Americans.”
Plana remarked on the generosity of area residents- including the East Peoria Fire department allowing him to park his RV at a fire station. Plana says he’s collecting the stories, which eventually could be used in museums or some kind of film. A link to Plana’s website is available by clicking here.