“There are people who risk their lives, that’s the price they have to pay to live free”

François Dussaud et Gérard Chaput, ancien médecin militaire bientôt reçus à la mairie d'Alès. Midi Libre – DR

François Dussaud, alésien de 27 ans blessé au combat au Sahel, sera honoré le 16 mars à la mairie.

He continues to refer to the attack on his convoy as "the’accident". But it was during a combat action that the young Alésien François Dussaud was seriously injured.

Holding a professional climate engineering degree from the La Salle high school, he joined the Army at the age of 18 and a half. After several Sentinel missions or in Djibouti, he was deployed to Mali in early 2019 with his unit, the 14th Infantry and Parachute Logistics Support Regiment (14th Rislp).

In the Sahel, the French army tracks down and eliminates jihadists. The fighting is fierce. With 17 soldiers killed, 2019 was the deadliest year. François Dussaud celebrates his 23rd birthday in the theater of operations.

"The mandate was tough. No matter how much we train, it's difficult to be ready for “that” ", recognizes the former soldier. “That” designates the realities of combat: the explosions, the screams, the orders that fall, the automatic gestures of the soldier which are all reflex acts so often repeated. "It’s so different from what we imagined."

Hospitalized for one year

It is still very difficult for François Dussaud to talk about the attack that his logistics convoy suffered. An improvised explosive device (IED), a mine of sorts, was placed at the edge of the runway.

These often rudimentary devices can also be sophisticated and triggered remotely as vehicles pass by. IEDs are responsible for more than a third of total losses in the Sahel.
An explosion, a flash, the breath, the blast. "Everything changed in my body", the war wounded man painfully remembers.

Emergency repatriation. Hospitalization for a year. "With very complicated periods." François Dussaud understood that his life had turned upside down, that he would no longer be no longer the same. "I was having anxiety attacks. I looked for a long time for my comrades, my Famas (Assault rifle, Editor's note), my care kit. I was stuck on “the’accident”. Finding myself in a crowd is not possible. Everyday noises startle me. A slamming door makes me think of the magazine that is inserted into the weapon. Smells are the same: when I smell iron, it reminds me of the smell of blood. I had to relearn a lot of things: how to organize myself, how to do simple things. Luckily I have the bike. This is my therapy. On the bike, there, I am “normal” », explains the member of the French military disabled sports team, with three French vice-champion titles.

"I was unable to resume my work in the air conditioning’. It reminded me too much of the army. As I am still managed by the Army Wounded Assistance Unit (Cabat), I joined the Omega system for the reintegration of war wounded into a professional environment. The town hall helped me a lot, especially Pierre Martin. Today, I work in green spaces. It suits me, it calms me down. My team leaders Gaspard and Fabien are caring and take good care of me. I wanted to continue serving the nation, even differently. At town hall, people are aware of the sacrifices already made and of what I can bring."

Invisible Wounds

Today vice-president of French Souvenir, a patriotic association, the soldier smiles:"It feels weird to think I'm a veteran at 27!", then getting serious again "the most hard it is not the physical injuries that are healed over time, but the invisible injuries, the post-traumatic syndrome, the neurological after-effects…"

François Dussaud is still in the reconstruction phase. "I’would like to send messages to middle schools and high schools. I would like to explain that there are people who risk their lives in combat, who shed their blood but that this is the price to pay to live free. We must not be forgotten…"

The Steps of the Brotherhood pass through Alès and Montpellier before reaching the landing beaches

At the call of several wounded associations, including Les sentinels de la nation chaired by Alésien Gérard Chaput, former military doctor specializing in trauma, the ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of the landing in Normandy began on March 3 . "It involves, departing from Corsica, crossing France by walking 1,944 km to the beaches of Normandy which we will reach next June 6. We want to make the nation aware of the injuries of its sentries, whether they are soldiers, police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses… The Steps of Fraternity are an authentic feat that must be given meaning for it to be constructive. It is possible to join us by registering at raceid.com/fr/races/10545/about. Alès, like Montpellier, are stopover towns where wounded in service will be honored, including François Dussaud."

Contact: sentinelledelanation.fr/les-pas-de-la-fraternite.

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