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BEUZEVILLE AU PLAIN, France - Yesterday, June 3, 2015, I had the opportunity to attend and cover a ceremony here in commemoration of the 71st Anniversary of D-Day. Little information was given to my partner, Staff. Sgt. Opal Vaughan, of the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), and I, supporting U.S. European Command, Public Affairs Office.
We plugged the coordinates into our GPS and drove to the location. Upon arriving, we found out we were early by an hour-and-a-half. Not wanting to waste post-production time, we went back to our car, downloaded our pictures from the morning event and started to the editing process. About 20 minutes prior to the event, we wandered over to the location, took pictures of the re-enactors, checked out potential photo spots, and chatted with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Soldiers.
After the ceremony, still not knowing what the significance was, we found the interpreter and asked her who the distinguished guests were, why this spot for a ceremony, etc. As luck would have it, there was a story. Her husband, a Belgian man, was part of a team of people who began searching the fields outside Beuzeville Au Plain in 1990. They searched the area looking for artifacts from a crash that occurred there the morning of June 5, 1944, which left the fields burning for three days.
In 2000, he and his friend finally found what they were looking for; dog tags, watches, wreckage, etc.
The hands of a wristwatch forever stopped at 1:12 on the morning of June 5, 1944 were lost to the fields outside of Beuzeville Au Plain, 56 years later they were recovered. A year later, in 2001, a monument was unveiled to memorialize the crew and paratroopers; closing a chapter of an unfinished story for the family, friends, loved ones and comrades of the men who lost their lives during Operation Overload.
"In a few hours I'm going to take the best company of men in the world into France. We'll give the bastards hell. Strangely, I'm not particularly scared. But in my heart is a terrific longing to hold you in my arms. I love you Sweetheart - forever. Your Tom" an excerpt from a letter that was written by 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III, company commander of E Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Air Assault.
The C-47 carrying Meehan was hit with Anti-Aircraft fire, and caught fire near the rear of the plane. As the fire traveled forward to the cockpit, the paratroopers aboard were unable to jump because the plane's altitude was too low for the parachutes to open. All were lost in the crash.
Just a few days shy of exactly seventy-one years later, Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) attended a ceremony to remember those men and their actions on that fateful day.
It was evident that hearing the tale of their lineage coming full circle to the Soldiers of the 101st stirred up emotions for them and many of the locals. A few Soldiers in attendance had family members in the 101st (ARASSLT) during D-Day, they said they were grateful to hear the tales of sacrifice and to be able to carry on the tradition of service.
For those who have lost anyone, when you don't know why or how, getting closure is an occasion to celebrate life and their memories. I believe this event resonated with many in attendance by the silence, nods, and looks of shared understanding.
Thank you for allowing me to tell these stories so that the memories of those we lost will live on; I'm humbled and grateful to bring life to the past.
"Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it."
Winston Churchill
For photos, http://dvidshub.net/r/omyntb
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.15.2015 12:43 |
| Story ID: | 170092 |
| Location: | BEUZEVILLE AU PLAIN, NORMANDY, FR |
| Web Views: | 122 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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