On the day Paris was liberated from the Nazis in 1944, a young American soldier nabbed a souvenir of epic proportions: He took home the French flag that hung from the Arc de Triomphe, a symbol of the end of four years of struggle and shame. Six and a half decades later, the aging veteran has given the flag back to the city of Paris. Officials from Paris City Hall took possession of the 12-meter tricolor flag Saturday in a ceremony in southern France. The American veteran remains anonymous, too ashamed to come forward. French officials have no intention of scolding him: They have only thanks and kind words for him, pointing out that he once risked his life for France. The cotton flag is still in excellent condition and has been carefully preserved. Paris firefighters in the Resistance hung the flag on the Arc de Triomphe on Aug. 25, 1944.
