This American Commando Parachuted Behind Enemy Lines in Both the European and Pacific Theaters of World War II

Francis Lowell Coolidge, the great-great-great-grandson of President Thomas Jefferson, parachuted into Nazi-occupied France in August 1944 as part of a secret mission. As a 37-year-old captain in the United States Army Air Forces, Coolidge was a combat veteran of the French Foreign Legion and eager to utilize his skills for the Allies' fight to liberate Western Europe.

He joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), America's precursor to the CIA, and became a member of its elite Special Operations branch in England. Coolidge was tasked with joining a mission named Union II, alongside Peter J. Ortiz and five other OSS operatives, to parachute into the Col des Saisies mountain pass in occupied France and deliver munitions and supplies to the Bulle Battalion, a resistance unit.

Before leaving for France, Coolidge left a five-page letter for his wife, Helen, detailing his sacrifices and the importance of his mission. On July 31, 1944, the BBC broadcast a coded message from the OSS, instructing the resistance fighters to meet the OSS operatives at the drop zone the following day. The operation faced complications when Sergeant Charles Perry's parachute failed to deploy, resulting in his death.

Despite these challenges, the remaining members, including Coolidge and Ortiz, successfully delivered the supplies and trained the resistance fighters. However, they encountered German resistance, and Coolidge was shot in the thigh while protecting his team. After the operation, Coolidge returned to the OSS's London office, where he was honored with a Purple Heart and a Silver Star for his bravery.

He reunited with his wife and daughters in Massachusetts, leaving behind a family heirloom – the letter he wrote to Helen if he did not return from his mission.