Keeping the memory alive of a true hero who paid the ultimate sacrifice in France

PARIS — We often hear words like hero, courage, and bravery describing athletes at the Olympics.

It’s almost normal to use those words for sports. However, there is a part of France where there are true heroes. And as Americans, we know the cost.

Ann Lundberg Kronmiller, of Springville, knows that cost about as well as anyone.

Her uncle, 2nd Lt. Jack Lundberg, never made it back home to Utah. Lundberg was killed when the B-17 bomber he was in was shot down during World War II.

“They found Jack within two or three days of when I was born,” Kronmiller said.

He was eventually buried in the American Normandy Cemetery.

Keeping Lundberg’s memory alive

“You look at that cemetery and your heart breaks,” Kronmiller said. “You want every one of them to be remembered.”

Making sure Lundberg is not forgotten is where Camille Noel comes in.

Noel, of Bountiful, is from the same area where Lundberg was from, so she wrote a school paper on him years ago.

“You see all these headstones, but you don’t know their stories and it’s just really sad,” Noel said.

For her, it wasn’t enough.

“I felt a connection to him when I first started this,” Noel said.

 So, she did more research on Lundbeg, met his surviving family members, and reached out to the local paper in the small town where Lundberg’s plane crashed. She never expected a call back from a Frenchman, who was also interested in that crash.

The two of them kept in touch, which included sharing stories. That eventually led to the town of Épagne-Épagnette deciding to place a memorial honoring Lundberg and the men who died in that crash.

It was dedicated this past June on the 80th anniversary. And Noel was there.

“It has been wonderful uncovering who Jack was and letting them know who he is,” Noel said.

Noel and Kronmiller have become good friends now, connected by a hero who truly defines the word.

“We just have to be so grateful,” Noel said. “I am.”