KATINA A. GAUDET NYT Regional Newspapers
RACELAND -- On the day of Freddie John Falgout's funeral 64 years ago, mourners braved the rain to bid the 21-year-old Raceland native farewell.
At Sunday's dedication of the monument commemorating Falgout's life and sacrifice, witnesses endured excessive heat as the black granite marker was unveiled at the Lafourche Parish Tourist Commission offices in Raceland.
"This monument stands as a symbol for many generations to follow, a symbol for the first American casualty of World War II, . the bayou boy who gave his life for his country," said Mary Theresa Baudoin, Falgout's first-born niece.
At the time of Falgout's death, the population of Raceland was only 600, but 10,000 turned out for his funeral.
Some of the 200-300 attending Sunday's dedication were among mourners at the funeral.
Ed Blanchard, chaplain of the American Legion Post 349 in Raceland, remembers walking in Falgout's funeral procession as a 10-year-old. Others at the dedication, however, had only recently learned of Falgout and his place in local and American history.
"I didn't know who Freddie Falgout was, and I was shocked because right here in Raceland the very first mortality of an American serviceman represented the bayou country," said Donald "Boysie" Bollinger, CEO of Bollinger Shipyards and chairman of the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans. "I've learned a lot about Freddie Falgout in the (last) few months."
Officials say many others will learn of Falgout and his contribution to the fight for freedom. The School Board has passed a resolution to teach Lafourche schoolchildren about Falgout.
They will learn that Falgout is thought to be the first American casualty of World War II, that he was killed in the line of duty aboard the U.S. naval flagship USS Augusta off the coast of Shanghai, China, and that he was a native son.
For those who served aboard the Augusta after Falgout, Seaman 1st Class Freddie John Falgout is a name that has not been forgotten with the passing of time.
"There are a lot of great moments in the history of the Augusta, and we could tell all of the great things the ship was involved in," said Richard Jones of Atlanta, past president of the USS Augusta Association.
The flagship transported the likes of presidents Harry Truman and Franklin D. Roosevelt, England's King George VI and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. And although those instances are still prominent in the memories of the men who served aboard the Augusta, more prominent, said Jones, is the story of Freddie John Falgout.
On Aug. 20, 1937, Falgout was killed aboard the flagship, which had been dispatched to China to protect Americans trapped during the Chinese-Japanese War. He was killed when a stray shell exploded on the ship's deck.
Jones, like most at Sunday's dedication, had never met Freddie John Falgout. While Falgout was aboard the Augusta, Jones was still trying to make his way into the Navy. But he learned of him after he became a seaman himself.
After boarding the Augusta and meeting his commanding officer, Jones and his fellow seamen were told of Falgout, shown the spot were he was killed and told of one of the ship's steadfast rules.
"We were told, `This is the spot you never step on,' and as far as I know, no one ever did," Jones said.
A hero, many said, is deserving of that kind of respect.
"Our young children today have the misconception that the heroes are the ones that are out there on the football field, dodging tacklers and running for yardage," said state Rep. Warren Triche, D-Chackbay. "Heroes dodged bullets and poison gas and everything else associated with war -- things we will never know about."
The monument dedication is significant not only in remembering Falgout as the first casualty of World War II, said Nick Mueller, president of the National D-Day Museum, but "the first in the vanguard who were traversing the globe to preserve democracy."
"World War II was indeed the pivotal point of the 20th century, . and (the museum) is about the preserving the values of patriotism, loyalty, duty, honor and the American spirit," Mueller said. "Our American soldiers went halfway around the world in both directions not to acquire territory, conquer lands, pillage or loot, (but) to bring freedom and democracy so that we might teach the rest of the world about the values of our generation.
"Freddie Falgout exemplified the values of that generation."
