It was during the First World War, in 1915, that students from major American universities formed a volunteer organization to drive ambulances on the front lines to assist the wounded and collect the bodies of those killed in combat.
During this first global conflict, there were over 2,500 American volunteers on the battlefields. They provided aid to nearly 500,000 soldiers, and 250 of them died, including Richard Hall, the first to fall in the field of honor on Christmas Day 1915 in Alsace, where he is buried.
This ambulance corps had a prestigious member in Ernest Hemingway. During the Second World War, this corps was reestablished, still with the same commitment to assisting freedom fighters. In 1946, the members of the American Field Service decided to continue their work in a different area. A cultural exchange program was created to allow high school students to meet, promoting peace and friendship among nations.
The American Field Service would expand, initially focusing on exchanges between the two sides of the Atlantic.
After 1971, AFS extended its activities to other countries and broadened its global reach, allowing young students to benefit from scholarships to study and discover new cultures.
The AFS association was very active in Nice during the ’50s but had been dormant since the end of the 20th century due to a lack of volunteers (who are the lifeblood of associations). It has been revived today by former students who benefited from its help, a gesture of gratitude that allows AFS to continue its work.
The Circle of Friends of AFS has been searching for alumni since 2009, and their work has been effective, having found a quarter of the 12,000 former French beneficiaries of the association.
Thus, from December 2 to 4, 165 alumni gather in Nice, coming from all over France, to recall the past, their memories, and this association born on the battlefields to help wounded soldiers, continuing its charitable work with students for exchange and peace, AFS also known as: Living Without Borders.
Thierry Jan
