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00:00 Celebrated by his native village,
00:04 Oumar Dieme has been chosen to carry the Olympic flame
00:08 in France next July. A surprise and a source of pride
00:12 for this 90-year-old.
00:16 "They said, 'You've been chosen. What do you think?'
00:19 It took me a few minutes to realize
00:23 and I said, 'Yes, it's an honor for me.'
00:27 It's an honor for me."
00:31 Oumar Dieme proudly shows his medals.
00:34 He enrolled in the army in 1953,
00:37 the same year he was sent to Vietnam where he fought for France
00:40 and then later Algeria.
00:43 That's where he was when he heard of Senegal's independence in 1960.
00:47 Today, his brother couldn't be prouder.
00:50 "We couldn't dare to dream of such a thing.
00:54 It first surprised us, but actually it's not hard to believe
00:58 given the values he embodies."
01:02 With two months to go before the big day, the lucky man can't avoid thinking
01:06 about his comrades who fell in battle or have since died.
01:10 "My companions from Indochina,
01:15 Algeria and even the National Army. Many have served the National Army.
01:20 They are no longer here. So if God lets me get this far,
01:24 all I can do is thank the good Lord."
01:29 Oumar Dieme will carry the flame in Bondy, a Paris suburb where he lived
01:33 before returning to Senegal last year.
01:36 According to the organizers, this will be an important moment in history,
01:40 a moment that the former rifleman has asked to share with his son.