In Sainte Mere Eglise on  Tuesday June 4th at the Airborne Museum from 2.30 to 4.00 pm

“Priests of the Landing Beaches” by reverand Tom Wilson

Coming to Sainte Mère Eglise’s Airborne Museum in April 2019

Starting April 1st (2019) a new gallery exposition of posters, letters, textes and maps retracing the history of it all.

From France’s entrance into World War 2 in 1939 to the signing of the Armistice (end of the war) in 1945. Follow the path, that heroic French soldiers took during the second World War. After the defeat of the battle of France in June of 1940, the French Army becomes the Armistice Army which is under the Maréchal Petain’s goverment, basically under the boot of the 3rd Reich Army, Adolf Hitler’s ! no less.

In response to that ultimate humiliation there’s another France that doesn’t want to take any crap from the Nazis and this is the “Free French Army” where Charles de Gaulle tries to rally from London the different French factions to unite against a common enemy.

Pointe-du-Hoc Rudder and the Rangers

At Pointe du Hoc extensive work will start after the major commemorations an agreement need to be found with French authorities who still own the land.

The U.S. would like it to be like the American cemetery: fenced-in, more parking and toilets, a larger visitor’s center.

They are talking of an elevated walkway and no more entering inside bunkers…550.000 tourists in 2018 !

News about the American Military cemetery

The visitor’s center was inaugurated in 2007 by Robert Gates at the American military cemetery. Currently closed until end of April 2019.
It will not be enlarged but totally redone inside with more videos, personal stories…etc

The parking lot will have more restrooms, less bushes, same space but totally re-organized to have more room.

In 2018 the cemetery saw more than 1,5 million visitors but so many people walking on the grass with an aging sprinkling system…work has to be done, fast!

Sainte Mère Eglise

From June 1st to June 9th: “Geronimo” re-enactor camp with props and vehicles.
Open from 9h to 22h every day.
Camp featuring US airborne troops in Normandy

In Carentan les Marais just outside of the town in a big field there will be a full US Army style camp with re-enactor and official gear of the era ! Camp Arizona in Carentan should come up in search engine.

Thursday 6th June to Monday 10st June : Arizona Camp

What’s going on this year in Normandy…

June 6th 2019: Normandy celebrates its Liberation with 75th D-Day Anniversary in Sainte Mère Eglise, Carentan, Sainte Marie du Mont, Utah Beach,…

Each year, there are ceremonies, re-enactor of US army camps of GI’s, historical marches, military fairs, historic parachute drops, parades and exhibitions of military vehicles…

In 2019, June 6th is a Thursday, so the huge part of the events and ceremonies will be during the weekend of  June 8th & 9th  2019.

Well everyone, we’re finally here. 2019 in under 6 months we will be in June the eyes of the world will be upon us over here in Normandy that’s right a fifty-five mile wide beach area to stage the biggest air – land – sea operation in 1944

Our veterans are dwindling down unfortunately for us, but perhaps they are content with the long life they got to live because they helped ending WW2. Their sacrifices were not in vain.

American-DDay-Tours will not be available from June 2nd until June 13th 2019  please remember that Normandy will still be around after the festivities if you like crowds then come in June but if you want acces to the sites (with less crowds) it can be all year round.

Early November I was stopped for lunch
at the “Boutique Du Holdy” in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont
and I had the honor of meeting
Robert Fernandez called “Bob”.

Bob was a cook at age 17 abord the USS CURTIS,
the boat he was on was bombed by
japanese airplanes on December 7th 1941.

He was found while he was stuck in the 3rd deck
way down below amongst 22 dead bodies !

This year is the 77th anniversary.

I hope Bob stays with us as long as possible he’s 94 !

B. Fernandez
Pearl Harbor survivor

The Flowers of Memory (Les Fleurs de la Memoire)

A French organisation that prides itself to bring flowers to the American graves that don’t get any or many.

My mother Danielle Duboscq is a proud member of “Les Fleurs de la Memoire” she will go and put flowers on the grave of an American solder, his name is Herbert Norton.
Herbert Norton entered the service from the state of New Jersey. His unit was the 747th tank batallion his rank was that of a sergeant, he was awarded a purple heart and a bronze star for his actions in Normandy, France. Unfortunately for him like many of other countless soldiers he died fighting for freedom and democracy, he was killed July 31st 1944…the same day my mom was born, that’s why she chose his grave. The day he died was the day she was brought into this world.
You can visit his grave he is buried at the Normandy American Military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer

Plot : B  Row : 8  Grave : 21

It’s American soldiers who took my pregnant grand-mother on a jeep to Carentan where my mom was born a few weeks later… the French of Normandy have much gratitude towards American soldiers especially the ones who were here 74 years ago.

One of the annual meetings of  “Les Fleurs de la Memoire”

It is said in Normandy that it’s “the task of memory not to forget what happened here 74 years ago” and I’m pretty sure that those young American soldiers will not be forgotten, long after all the veterans of WW2 have passed away, unfortunately that’s going to happen much faster than we’d like.

If you too you’d like to be part of this here is their website :
http://www.lesfleursdelamemoire.com/en/