(NewsNation) — Just 80 years after Harold Terens landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, as part of the D-Day operation, he’ll be making another memory at the site: marrying his fiancée, Jeanne Swerlin.
The two will tie the knot Saturday near the place he and nearly 160,000 others landed on June 6, 1944, in the fight against the Nazis. Of the 4,414 Allied troops killed during D-Day operations, 2,501 were Americans.
“I just love this place. It has horrific memories for me,” he said. “And it has beautiful memories for me.”
It’s not the first time 100-year-old Terens has returned to the region. He attended the 50th, 70th and 75th anniversary of D-Day not far away from their wedding venue, meeting U.S. presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as well as French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron gave him a French Legion of Honor for his service during World War II, an event Terens called “one of the most memorable moments” of his life.
Terens said the idea for their destination wedding came about while he was out with lunch with a friend.
“A year ago, we were having a lunch, and [my friend] says, ‘You know, I like your girlfriend. She’s pretty nice. Why don’t you get married? And why don’t you get married in Normandy? You’re going to be there anyway. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a destination wedding in Normandy? Wouldn’t that be memorable?'” he shared.
Planning a wedding at 100 is no easy task — but Terens’ secret to a fulfilled life? Destress when possible and crack open a can of fish.
“Don’t sweat the small stuff … and remember, when you eat, just make sure you have two cans of skinless and boneless sardines every week. They must come from Morocco, and they must be in olive oil,” he said. “Those are my two prescriptions for longevity.”
Though Swerlin made it clear she hates sardines, she loves Terens and is excited to say “I do” in such a historic place.
“He’s amazing. He has a memory like no one else,” she said. “He has wisdom.”
The couple are looking forward to a long, happy life together, made official on hallowed ground.
