The Double Death of Camille Frugier

“I am alive — and I remember” — Agnes Varda

Oradour-sur-Glane: site of the largest genocide in France during WWII and the birthplace of Camille Frugier

Tombstone in the Belfort cemetery where friendly-fire victim Camille Frugier is buried

The French government promised war orphan Monique Frugier — and hundreds of thousands like her — a monthly stipend for life in 1946. No one has ever received a cent. To make matters worse, Monique is owed reparations for the long-concealed fact that the death of her father resulted from friendly fire — a tragedy the deceased heroically tried to prevent.

By David Federman

This story is an attempt to collect a debt.

French war orphan Monique Frugier is owed at least 27,400 Euros by her government. This is the official amount France has already awarded since 1995 to each Jewish and non-Jewish orphan who lost a parent to German barbarity. Monique figures she is worth just as much as these victims.

But that is not how the French government figures things. Although her mother was promised a life-time pension for her three children as token of…