A middle school social studies teacher from Rochester and one of his former students worked together to research a Michigan man killed during the Allied Forces’ D-Day invasion of Normandy, France 80 years ago. Then they carried the story to Omaha Beach where that history played out.

MEA member Matt Cottone, who teaches world history at Van Hoosen Middle School, and Ian Smith – now a junior at Adams High School – pieced together the story of U.S. Navy seaman Auvergne Breault, an Upper Peninsula native who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country at age 20 on June 6, 1944.

Cottone and Smith traveled to Normandy this summer as one of 15 teacher-student teams nationwide chosen for the Albert H. Normandy Institute fellowship through George Washington University. They delivered a eulogy for Breault, which will be enshrined in the Normandy American Cemetery archives.

“All of the work throughout the year of this fellowship felt worth it when we saw his name on the memorial wall,” Cottone said. “With sand from Omaha beach, Ian wiped the etched letters of his name to give it the sandy golden glow it deserved, as is customary.”

Once stateside again, the pair hand-delivered a copy of the eulogy to Breault’s nieces in Escanaba. Sharing the experience with a former student made it extra special, Cottone said, adding the events have left “an indelible impact on both of our lives.”

Read more about how teacher and student tracked down Breault’s story at mea.org/rochester-d-day-project.