Not long after being honored as one of the last surviving veterans of World War II on D-Day’s 80th anniversary, 100-year-old Harold Terens and his 96-year-old bride, Jeanne Swerlin, proved beyond a doubt that it’s never too late for love.
They were married in a ceremony in France on Saturday, and it was just as wholesome as you could imagine.
An Ode to Life
For optimists, life doesn't hit the brakes at 60… Veteran Harold Terens, 100, is marrying his 96-year-old fiancée, Jeanne Swerlin, this Saturday in Carentan-les-Marais, near the D-Day beaches. Cheers to their happiness! pic.twitter.com/ohYIv3nFUH— Gianni A. Sarcone (@gsarcone) June 8, 2024
💍 Together, the collective age of the bride and groom was nearly 200.
But World War II veteran Harold Terens and Jeanne Swerlin proved love is eternal as they tied the knot days after Terens was honoured at the 80th D-Day ceremony.
Read more here 👇https://t.co/M9Eqfulfok pic.twitter.com/zgYCGcKDMs
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 8, 2024
Harold Terens, vétéran américain âgé de 100 ans, va se marier dans quelques minutes. Il est accueilli sous les applaudissements à la mairie de Carentan-les-Marais ! pic.twitter.com/jPvcwx9BVz
— France 3 Normandie (@f3normandie) June 8, 2024
From the AP story (via Military News) comes a quote by Swerlin right before her marriage became official: “It’s not just for young people, love, you know? We get butterflies. And we get a little action, also.”
Yooooooo. Let’s go!! Harold Terens clearly still got that dawg in him. Swerlin called him the greatest kisser ever, and Terens said Saturday was the best day of his life.
🇺🇸 🇫🇷 Congratulations to Normandy veteran Harold Terens (100) and Jeanne Swerlin (96) who tied the knot today in Carentan, Normandy. pic.twitter.com/GrSEyVEUE7
— Vanguard WWII by Cadet – bringing history to life! (@Vanguard_WW2) June 8, 2024
It was also revealed in the AP report that French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden will welcome the newly wedded couple to their state dinner on Saturday night. Although the wedding wasn’t bound by law due to local traditions, Terens and Swerlin can make it official-official once they touch back down in the States.
What a backstory Terens has from the war, too. To hit on just the broad strokes, Terens helped repair planes that were sent back into battle on D-Day, facilitated the transport of freed American POWs from France to England, and worked as a repair technician on radios for a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter unit.
Being a combined 196 years old and deciding to get married is the flex of all flexes. The swag Terens must have — and you know Swerlin, with the game she’s talking, must have had a lot of interested suitors even at this stage of her life. Hard to beat a World War II badass like Terens. May they live out the rest of their days in unbridled happiness. I have a feeling that true love like this can only bode well for how long they can hang in there.
For more on the couple, check out the cool segment from CBS below, which reveals they met a few years ago in Boca Raton, Florida. Congratulations to them!
100-year-old World War II veteran Harold Terens and 96-year-old Jeanne Swerlin are getting married this week at a chapel in France that's not far from where U.S. forces landed on D-Day. The lovebirds met three years ago and say they keep each other young by dancing. pic.twitter.com/NnC9yabdx8
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) June 6, 2024
