Sunday 31st May 2015

10 a.m.-12 p.m. / 2 p.m.-6 p.m. : Book show « History and Memories » in Sainte Mère Eglise, in the townhall.
Information: Médiathèque of Sainte Mère Eglise
– 00 332 33 04 60 19 or mediatheque-steme@orange.fr
Organization: Communauté de Communes de la Baie du Cotentin

9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Military fair in salle Polyvalente of Picauville.

With prior booking for exhibitors: 0033 233 41 02 48 or charles.dennebouy@orange.fr (8 €/m). Entrance: 2,50 €.

Friday 5th June

Sainte Mère Eglise

Afternoon: Best military vehicle contest followed by best 1940’s clothing contest (by category) in Sainte Mère Eglise.
Prize-giving: 4 p.m.
Organization: AVA – 06 08 45 24 65 or ballesterbarth@aol.com or contact@avanormandie.org

9 p.m.: Music entertainment. Organization: Townhall

Friday 5th June

Sainte Mère Eglise

All day long: Tandem parachute jumps above Sainte-Mère-Eglise.
Dive in History of D-Day in Normandy.
Meeting at the Cherbourg-Maupertus airport to get into the plane
and fly above the Cotentin and Utah Beach Coasts before your get ready to jump above Sainte-Mère-Eglise!

Prices: 370 €/ per person
video+photos: 135 €
video: 105 €.
Booking: Tourist Office of Sainte-Mère-Eglise
– 0033 233 21 00 33 or ot.sme@ccbdc.fr
Organization: A2parachutisme.com

Friday 5th-Sunday 7th June

Carentan

Reconstruction of a US military camp and scenes of civilian daily life under German occupation: “Arizona Camp” in Carentan with 300 military and civilian re-enactors and 100 vehicles. Several animations. Exhibitions of Post-exchange, Signal Corps, Communication post, Barber shop, combat positions… Reconstruction of a civilian 1940’s street and scenes of French Red-Cross, passive defense, 1940’s civilian clothes, police… “Histoire & Collection”, editor of Militaria Magazine and Tank & Military Vehicles will welcome you on the camp.
Evening with concert and dances. Sunday morning: parade of military vehicles: start from the camp, through Carentan and exhibition on place du Grand Valnoble.
Food take-away on the camp.
At the roundabout of cattle market, road to Périers. Registration for participants starts beginning of February.Organization: Association CAPA – camp.arizona.normandie@gmail.com or 00 33 (0)6 34 03 46 45

Saturday 30th May

10 a.m.: International March for Peace, starting from Picauville. Arrival to Ste Mère Eglise around 5 p.m.

From 9 a.m.: Gathering at salle paroissiale of Picauville.
10 a.m.: Start for the first 8 km.
12.30 p.m.: Lunch in Beuzeville la Bastille.
2 p.m.: Start for the next 7 km. 3.30 p.m.
Tea time in Chef du Pont.
4 p.m. : Start for the last 4 km.
5 p.m.: Arrival in Sainte Mère Eglise.
6 p.m. : ecumenical celebration.
7 p.m.: Diner at the hall market.
Organization: www.marchepourlapaix-normandie.fr

2 p.m.-6 p.m.: Book show « History and Memories » in Sainte Mère Eglise,
in the townhall. Information: Médiathèque of Sainte Mère Eglise
– 00 332 33 04 60 19 or mediatheque-steme@orange.fr
Organization: Communauté de Communes de la Baie du Cotentin

American troops (active duty) will be in Sainte Mère Eglise from 31st May till 8th June. (Dates to be confirmed)

Every year the local people are invited to continue the bond shared between them and active duty soldiers. Parachuting jumps have been going on for a while around La Fiere, this year it’s on June 7th 2015. All the military that’s  involved in the ceremonies and Drop Zone planning, flying aircraft and personnel etc will be staying in or around Sainte Mere Eglise.

My wife and I have been hosting soldiers (Americans for several years now) the object is to give them a delicious meal in typical Normandy home with local Norman food.

Tuesday 2nd June 2015

6 p.m.: Soldiers have dinner in local families.
Organization: AVA – contact@avanormandie.org

Active duty personnel with us for dinner

Sunday 24th May 2015

Om Memorial Day, there will be a special ceremony in the little village of Amfreville because people there have not forgotten why Memorial Day is so special to Americans.

11 a.m.: Memorial Day – ceremony at the 507th PIR Monument in Amfreville.

Organization: US Normandy Mémoire et Gratitude – 0033 233 52 63 27 or Daniel.briard@hotmail.fr

May to October 2015

At the Airborne Museum in Sainte Mère Eglise: Exhibition
« V for VICTORY, from Normandy to Berlin »

May, 8th 2015 will be the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War 2. To celebrate this date, the Airborne Museum of Sainte Mère Eglise invites you to see a great size exhibition from May to October 2015 in the park of the museum. It will show the key moments of Europe liberation until Germany surrendered.Following the Way of Liberty from Normandy to Bastogne and until total victory when Reichstag was taken by the Russian Red Army, this exhibition reminds you the stakes of Operation Overlord. Its final aim was to penetrate Europe to reach the heart of Germany.

Organization: Airborne Museum – 0033 233 41 41 35 or www.airborne-museum.org

Why not go for the all inclusive D-Day tour package? No waiting in line at the museum you’ve got “front of the line” status, and for lunch worried if they don’t take your credit card? don’t have any €uros just green bills? Lunch is included.  More time to visit the sites less time stuck with a waiter who doesn’t speak your tongue, no waiting for that meal to show up !

It’s called the Essential Private Tour Package and it’s just you no one else, we would visit everything listed on the “Essential Tour”

Sainte Mère Eglise

Utah Beach

Lunch

Pointe-du-Hoc

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach Memorial Museum*

American Military Cemetery

 ** Carentan and Bayeux only for FREE pickup and drop off,  if further fees will apply

*We can do either German cemetery or museum depending on time you choose which one’s more important for your tour.

Pointe du Hoc

Omaha Beach

Last year in March I was at a ceremony to honor LTC James Earl Rudder’s death at a mass in a small French village. The American Military Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer was represented by super intendent Daniel Neese  along other local personalities people who work in tourism in the region.

When I visited Texas last November with my wife, I was given a flag of Texas* which I gave to the mayor (Monsieur Frederic Pain) of this little town and he thanked me. A wreath laying was done after the ceremony in the church and at another site which was one of the ALG (Advanced landing Ground) operational on June 15th 1944.

One of the important men of the of Rangers (2nd Bn) on June 6th 1944 at Pointe du Hoc

Thank you Mr Rudder and all the men who gave their lives.

Flag was given to me by *Ray Schutter at West University Travel

from West University Texas near Houston.

Thank you Ray.