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NORMANDY REGION, France – Seventy-three years ago today, Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy marking the beginning of the largest multi-national amphibious landing and operational military airdrop in history.
More than 156,000 troops were a part of D-Day, officially known as Operation Overlord.
In commemoration of D-Day 73, U.S. soldiers and veterans along with European allies and partners participated in more than 40 events and ceremonies from May 31 to June 6, 2017, honoring the thousands of men who fought and died in the Allied Invasion of Normandy.
Events such as a battlefield tour of the town of Carentan, a ceremony at the Airborne Monument there and even the dedication of a new D-Day monument on Omaha Beach took place throughout the week.
The Carentan Battlefield Tour took U.S. soldiers and veterans through museums and historical locations that showcased the importance of the liberation of France, which was the turning point for the Allies in World War II.
The group visited numerous significant locations along the way, including Dead Man’s Corner museum, Memorial Hancock Field Cabbage Patch, Angoville-au- Plain church, and Bailey Bridge over the Taute River.
“To see the environment that these guys have been in and trying to imagine us doing that is just mind-blowing,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Bailey, a Soldier from the 173rd Airborne Brigade. “A lot of respect to Veterans and what they went through. This is just amazing.”
During the Airborne Monument ceremony in Carentan, France, June 2, 2017, four D-Day Veterans received the Chevalier Legion of Honor.
“It’s an honor,” said Jimmy Carrol, WWII Veteran. “I never though anything like this would happen to me.”
Now, seventy-three years after that fateful day characterized as the “Longest Day,” new ways to honor those soldiers are still being discovered. A new monument was unveiled on Omaha Beach during the Charles Shay Memorial dedication ceremony June 5, 2017. It is the first time the site has been recognized as part of D-Day commemoration — and memorializes the 175 Native Americans who stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day.
“I’m very honored, but at the same time I’m very humble,” said Master Sgt. (ret.) Charles Norman Shay, a Native American D-Day Veteran. “All of the credit belongs to the men who are laying in the cemeteries. Those men are the real heroes.”
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2017 05:02 |
| Story ID: | 236626 |
| Location: | FR |
| Web Views: | 88 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Remembering D-Day, 73 Years Later, by A1C Alexis Schultz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
