Peters Shares His Parents’ Unique Love Story for Valentine's Day

Video Description

U.S. Senator Gary Peters and Colleen Ochoa Peters celebrate Valentine’s Day by sharing the story of how Senator Peters’ parents fell in love. Peters’ father, Herb, served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in France during World War II. Peters’ mother, Madeleine Vignier, grew up in Reims, France and survived the harsh occupation by Nazi Germany. Peters’ parents met during his father’s military service in France during World War II. Following the end of the war, they got married and moved back to Michigan together to start a family. “My father spoke very little French, and my mother spoke very little English. It definitely is an example of love having a language of its own,” said Senator Peters. “My love parents loved being American citizens. They both instilled in me the notion that nothing is free in life. You have to fight for it, and you have to keep fighting for what’s right. And that lesson has always stuck with me. I think of them often and think, what would my parents do in this situation? I know they would stand strong.” Madeleine Vignier grew up in Reims, France and was just 15 years old when the Nazis invaded of her hometown. During the evacuation, German Luftwaffe fighter aircraft targeted the French soldiers, putting the civilians like Madeleine in imminent danger. After surviving this attack, Madeliene would temporarily move to multiple French cities before returning to Reims, where she lived under Nazi occupation for several years. After the Allied Forces liberated her home, she met an Army First Lieutenant named Herb Peters, who was stationed in Reims and served in Eisenhower’s Headquarters following the invasion of Normandy. They got married and moved to Michigan. Madeleine worked as a nurse’s aide and became a union steward for the SEIU. Herb became an accomplished teacher and reporter, and also became a union proud member of the Michigan Education Association. They were married for nearly 65 years. Madeleine Vignier Peters’ oral history of her experience during World War II comes from the collection of The National WWII Museum.