Cecil Graf

Our tour of Verdun by Cecil could not have been any more informative and eye-opening about this deadly battle. Our French grandfather had received the medal of Verdun, where he fought at age 19, and was captured by the Germans. We wanted to find out more about this moment in history, and try to imagine our grandfather's ordeal, which he thankfully survived. Cecil is a wonderful tour guide, filling us in on all the history, and driving us to the battlefield and monuments in memory of the dead. The highlight was Cecil taking us to the office that keeps filing cabinets full of index cards for each of the soldiers who fought and received the medal of Verdun. Cecil found not just our grandfather, but his two brothers who also received the medal of Verdun. This office is open very infrequently and Cecil made the effort to get us there during the few hours it was open. As a guide he went beyond our expectations, with intelligence, knowledge of his field, and a good sense of humor.