In her earliest memory, Anne Minvielle, at 2 years old, recalls looking up and seeing a picture of her uncle.

That picture, an old black and white image, hung over a shelf above the television in her grandmother Emma’s home.

Though it’s a single image, it has had a lasting impact on the New Iberia resident.

The photo is of her uncle, 2nd Lt. Edward Loustalot, a native of Franklin.

Loustalot’s legacy is known on the other side of the Atlantic; he was the first American to die in Europe during World War II.

But in America, the country where Loustalot earned his The Medal of Freedom, he still is unknown, though he is mentioned in numerous books.

“He’s a hero in a faraway land,” Minvielle said of her uncle.

Fighting for his country

After earning his degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University, Minvielle said, Loustalot, at the ripe age of 19 at the time, wanted to fight for his country, and he did just that, joining the war overseas.

Loustalot, who served in the 1st Ranger Battalion, died in action on Aug. 19, 1942, at the battle of Dieppe Raid. Known also at “Operation Jubilee,” Loustalot and other members of the 1st Ranger Battalion were part of an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France.

Before setting off on Dieppe, Minvielle said Loustalot and his commando unit trained for terrain that was expected to include water and barbed wire.

“The plan is that they are going to cross the English Channel and bring with them mostly Canadians, a small group of commandos from Britain,” Minvielle said. “And 10 United States Army Rangers.”

One of 1,500

Of the 1,500 Allies who signed up, Loustalot was one of them, volunteering to be part of the raid, though he knew the dangers that awaited him and the others.

“Edward was the kind of guy to volunteer for something like that,” William Maurin, a college friend of Loustalot, said. “He was fearless about almost anything.”

Commando units were assigned to take out coastal artillery about 6 miles on either side of Dieppe. Loustalot was one of 10 Rangers assigned to No. 3 Commando, which would attack the battery to the east at Berneval, a city on the coast of Normandy.

A brave uncle

“He was, from what I gathered, so brave,” Minvielle said. “He wanted to do everything he could to save this mission.”

He knew what was a stake for him, in an ill-prepared mission, Minvielle said.

“They were really not prepared, the weather was terrible,” Minvielle said. “They took the route of going through the night.”

Aside from moving at night, Minvielle said the joint forces brought amphibious vehicles to get the Rangers and the Allies off the terrain.

In reality, Minvielle said, they trained for sand, thinking the land would be a beach, allowing for the soldiers to jump off on the beach like in D-Day.

But Loustalot and the other Allies were not expecting what happened next.

“There was no sand,” Minvielle said. “It was all rocks, all cliffs and rocks, so the vehicles didn’t work. So the only thing left to do was to get out and run.”

Not prepared for what was next

Unbeknownst to Loustalot and the other Allies, the Germans had established themselves and saw the Rangers as they approached.

“They just opened fire,” Minvielle said. “It was pretty much a slaughter.”

Bulit diffrent

A 1967 article by G.B. Sylvester in the magazine Man’s Conquest provides the most colorful account, but it does not clearly attribute its source for the details.

“Lt. Edward Loustalot … threw himself across the first wire, tore himself loose and raced up the gully. “‘Come on,’ Loustalot said, ‘Let’s get the bastards.’”

“The Commandos clambered up behind him. A German machine gun stuttered from the right. The heavy slugs pounded into the men and tossed them back down to the beach.

When Loustalot reached the crest, only nine men were left, and then a bullet hit Loustalot in the neck.

As he fell, his last grenade exploded in his hand, He was dead by the time he hit the ground.”

Not a total lost

Loustalot’s death wasn’t a total loss, because, for every soldier who died in Dieppe, 10 were saved in Normandy two years later at D-Day.

“So that made it not so bad,” Minvielle said.

For the first time ever this past Aug. 19, Franklin honored one of its favorite sons and will never forget what he did for his country. The town will hold a meeting every Aug. 19 to share the memory of Loustalot

“He’s a native son of Franklin, and he will always be a part of us,” Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard said. “We felt like this is something we could do to honor Lt. Loustalot.”

Grew up not knowing a hero

Though he was considered a war hero for his sacrifice on that fateful August day, for the most part, Minvielle said she grew up not knowing very much about Loustalot.

“I think my mom and my grandmother were extremely grief-ridden,” Minvielle said. “And so they didn’t talk about him.”

It wasn’t until she was older, where she started finding out how much of a hero her uncle was with countless stories told those who knew him best.

Minvielle, a retired school teacher, wants the message Loustalot lived to persist: a love for the USA.

A love for the U.S.

“In this troubling time, it seems we have lost patriotism,” Minvielle said. “It’s a virtue, you love your country … and if I can do anything with this story, it is to inspire young people today what we have and enjoy, we shouldn’t take for granted.”

Minvielle said she wants that same message her uncle’s sacrifice for his country, with his whole life ahead of him, to be heard throughout the U.S.

“I want the message to be, ‘Look, people did all of this so we can have the gift of liberty, and what are we doing with it?’” Minvielle said.

Unselfish, more than anything

Minvielle called her uncle, more than anything, “unselfish.” Though he was known as a person of short stature, he was fearless in anything he did.

As simple as it sounds, Minvielle said she would just thank her uncle for loving his country if she could say anything to him today.

“For making the ultimate sacrifice so we that didn’t know you but love you could have the blessing we have today,” Minvielle said.