Marines will land at Normandy to commemorate D-Day anniversary
Category: News & Politics
Via: sparty-on • 6 months ago • 28 commentsBy: Jeff Schogol (Task Purpose)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
About 100 Marines and sailors will conduct an amphibious landing at Normandy, France to honor the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
By Jeff Schogol | Published May 31, 2024 1:22 PM EDT
- News
Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Marcin Platek.
About 100 U.S. Marines will come ashore at Normandy, France next month as a tribute to the Allied troops who landed there 80 years ago in one of the most decisive battles of World War II.
The United States and other Western Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944 to begin the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. German resistance was especially fierce at Omaha Beach, where U.S. troops suffered 3,600 casualties, including 770 killed. But the Allies were able to establish a toehold on the continent from which they would eventually break out and reach Germany itself.
The landings are among the most revered operations in U.S. military history. In commemoration of their 80th anniversary, U.S. Marines and French troops will land on Omaha next week after the French government extended an invitation for the Marines to help commemorate the invasion. The U.S. Army, whose troops made up the bulk of U.S. forces at Normandy in 1944, is sending paratroopers to France to participate in other ceremonies, including a parachute drop.
The Marines and French troops will conduct the amphibious landings at Omaha and Utah beaches on June 4 and Sword Beach on June 5, said Lt. Col. Antony Andrious, a spokesman for U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa.
On June 6, the French Armed Forces will provide a static display near Omaha Beach that includes an unmanned aerial vehicle, 6 rotary wing aircraft, a landing craft, and a ground platoon of French troops, Andrious said.
The Marines and sailors landing at Normandy will come from the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill, on which the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is currently embarked, said Capt. Clayton Doss, a spokesman for U.S. Naval Forces Europe - Africa. They will come ashore on Landing Craft, Utility boats.
More than 300 sailors from the cruiser USS Normandy are also participating in ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Doss told Task & Purpose.
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"U.S. Navy Sailors and Marines are looking forward to commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Operation Overlord (D-Day) alongside their French counterparts next week," Doss said. "The Omaha Beach landing carries forward the D-Day legacy eighty years later and demonstrates that Allied and partner forces can deploy anytime, anywhere to promote peace and security."
US soldiers wade toward shore on Omaha beach on D-Day, 1944. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The roughly 100 French troops who will take part in the amphibious landings will come from the French amphibious assault ship Mistral, Doss said.
A total of 1,200 U.S. service members from units based in Europe and 15 historic-lineage units based in the continental United States are taking part in the ceremonies, said Terry Welch, a spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, or USAREUR-AF.
This year's commemorations of the Normandy landings provide an excellent opportunity to showcase some of the U.S. units that are currently deployed to Europe to help defend every inch of NATO territory, said Col. Martin L. O'Donnell, a USAREUR-AF spokesman.
"The bond between the United States and Europe stands as a testament to the enduring strength of our Alliance," Gen. Darryl A. Williams, commander of USAREUR-AF, said in a statement. "Eighty years since D-Day, our collective resolve remains unwavering, fortified by decades of steadfast defense. As we continue to march forward, transforming along the way, while at the same time enhancing our deterrence and defensive posture, let us stand united and firm in opposition to any threat that dares to jeopardize the hard-won peace and security here on the continent and beyond."
Along with the beach landings, U.S. soldiers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions will pay tribute to the role paratroopers played on D-Day. As the massive invasion fleet crossed the English Channel in 1944, thousands of U.S. troops were dropped by parachute and gliders into France ahead of the landings to help pave the way for the massive amphibious assault.
"It was June 6, 1944, when our division came onto the world stage parachuting into Normandy clearing the way for the invasion of Western Europe and marking the beginning of the Allies assault on Nazi Germany," said Lt. Col. Tony Hoefler, spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). "Now, 80 years later, the 101st has transformed into an air assault division and still helping to secure the peace in Europe.
On June 2, soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team — known as the Rakkasans — , 101st Airborne Division will conduct an air assault demonstration in Carentan, France, Hoefler told Task & Purpose. The unit is currently deployed to Eastern Europe.
"The air assault demonstration is meant to highlight the division's ability to deliver one brigade combat team up to 500 nautical miles in one period of darkness at the place and time of the combatant commander's choosing," Hoefler said. "The demonstration will be viewed by spectators throughout the world who have converged on Normandy, France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Europe on D-Day."
As part of this year's closing ceremonies, about 130 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division will take part in a parachute drop to honor the Allied paratroopers who jumped into France ahead of the landings, said Lt. Col. Cesar Santiago, a spokesman for the division.
"By June of 1944, France had been under Nazi occupation for four years," Santiago told Task & Purpose. "Eighty years later, we commemorate the 23,000 Allied Paratroopers who pierced the Atlantic Wall on D-Day to assist the Allied assault forces on the Normandy beachheads. Our Paratrooping ancestors of the 82d Airborne Division set a remarkable standard of courage and conviction for our Paratroopers today."
Jeff Schogol is a senior staff writer for Task & Purpose. He has covered the military for 15 years, with previous bylines at the Express-Times in Easton, Pennsylvania, Stars & Stripes, and Military Times.
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Oorah!!
Semper Fi!
I have some friends from the 82d Airborne who are reenacting the Airborne part of Operation Overlord. I think there are some veterans who made that jump that will be taking part.
I did the jump in 2014 and glad I did. We jumped the same drop zones they landed on 80 years ago with the same aircraft. Only change was the parachutes we jumped.
Outstanding!
There will be a Canadian contingent at Juno Beach.
Represent
?
What’s the question?
"represent" is (perhaps 'was' is more accurate) a trendy slang term in the US, particularly from rap music meaning "show your pride"
Basically it's a good thing
Yes it is but then again he knows that.
I hope you don't mind but I'm going to add this for our Canadian Friends.
Sargent Tommy Prince a highly decorated veteran of WWI and Korea.
A member of the super-elite ''Devils Brigade'' in WWII. The Indigenous (Anishinaabe) Warrior.
Thomas George Prince , MM (October 25, 1915 – November 25, 1977) was an Indigenous Canadian war hero and the most decorated soldier in the First Special Service Force or Devil's Brigade , an elite American-Canadian commando unit, during World War II. He was Canada's most decorated First Nations soldier, serving in World War II and the Korean War . Prince was one of only three Canadians to receive both the Canadian Military Medal and the American Silver Star during WWII. Prince's military deeds as a scout and as a forward combatant were unique and of major strategic importance.
Tommy Prince was descended from First Nations chiefs. Prince's grandfather had negotiated treaty rights in Manitoba with representatives of The Crown . Prince himself would also represent First Nations concerns in Ottawa as Chairman of both the Manitoba Indian Association (currently Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs ) and the First Nations of Canada national delegation. He advocated for the abolition of the governing Indian Act in Canada and proposed respect for the traditional Crown treaties as the basis of First Nations rights. Prince's position, although considered radical at the time, has been vindicated in subsequent decades by Supreme Court of Canada rulings in support of the Crown treaties and is now the basis of government policy.
Nope, love the addition. Thx!
Maybe I suppose but from reading his post I don't think so
The actors from ''Band of Brothers'' will be jumping in honor of the men they played.
My cousin Monroe jumped with the 101st and fought all the way to Bastogne where he was KIA 24/12/44 when the ''Battling Bastards of Bastogne'' stopped the German counter-attack when in the immortal words of General McAuliffe told the German commander when they told them to surrender, ''NUTS''.
My aunt and uncle planted a weeping birch tree on our home reservation of Red Lake MN in the spring of 1945 to honor their son and three others of our family that were KIA in WWII. The tree still stands today with a plaque that has names and units.
My dad would be proud that the Marines will take part in the re enactment of the Normandy landing. He was a member of the Second Marines that hit the beach at Tarawa (Betio), Saipan, and Okinawa and a few other forgotten islands in the Pacific.
Semper Fi
Airborne all the Way.
Waanakiwin (peace)
Thx for sharing Kav. He might have fought with some of my Family and friends. Guadalcanal, Pelelui, Iwo …..
And a salute to your family and friends, Sparty...Hero's all.
Yep and your son, I haven’t forgotten…..
Thank you for that, very much appreciated, Sparty.
He’s a Marine, my brother of a different mother.
My father was in the Army as a armorer/gunner on quad .50 cal mounted on the back of M3 halftracks and came ashore at Omaha Beach on 11 June 1944 with the 30th Infantry Division (Old Hickory) and fought in the liberation of Holland, the Battle of The Bulge, the Rhineland Battles, and helped liberate a sub camp of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. What little he told me of his experiences before he passed is that bothered him the most.
A salute to your father, Doc, the Greatest Generation.
Veterans, civilians parachute over Normandy for D-Day 80th anniversary
To all, feel free to post any family/friends involved on that day. All should be honored and I’m all about that
One of my greatest honors during my active Army service was supporting the D-Day ceremonies at Normandy. Several years before the 50th anniversary, the Army conducted a rehearsal by staging a number of ceremonies. They ranged from one in London, VIPs boarding the USS Eisenhower and crossing the channel. On the French side there were ceremonies at the Cemetery, Pointe du hoc, site of Eisenhower first field HQ in France, Sainte-Mère-Église, Caen and Paris. VIPs included the SecArmy, SecNavy, John Eisenhower and others. I arranged for an Army historian to give our support troops tours of the battle.
It was a very moving event. My favorite experiences was talking with Vets and French locals and hearing their memories. The cemetery and this part of Normandy is very beautiful and I encourage anyone planning on visiting southern England or northern France to make time for Normandy. The Calvados is pretty damn good as well.
Awesome Wry, thx for sharing. Walking the beaches and land these guys fought is moving as hell. I got to do that on Peleliu where my dads brother fought.
Walked the beach he landed on and roughly followed the path they fought through the island. It was very emotional to say the least.
Indeed, in the Army we call them terrain walks or staff rides. I’ve been able to experience a number including Waterloo, Civil War, WWI, WWII and Korea. Two weeks ago, our office did the 2nd Battle of Bull Run.
This may be an interesting story to some. The monument of the Turtle is what we call north America, Turtle Island and the turtle is highly respected by all NAs and is the perfect monument of Normany. Mr. Shay is taking part in this years 80th Anniversary he is 99 years young. He was a combat medic with the Big Red One, the First Infantry Division.
King Congratulates Charles Shay of Indian Island on Dedication of Shay Indian Memorial in Normandy, France on 73rd Anniversary of D-Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the dedication of the Charles Shay Indian Memorial in Normandy, France today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the text of a letter he sent to the memorial’s namesake, Mr. Charles Shay, of Indian Island, Maine.
“This park, overlooking Omaha Beach, is a tribute to all Native American soldiers who bravely advanced in the defense of the free world, despite grave peril and under tremendous enemy fire. The United States, and the world at large, are eternally indebted to this bravery, which established a strategic foothold in France and lead to Allied victory on the Western Front,” Senator King wrote in his letter . “While no words can truly thank you for the courage you showed as a medic on that beach, please know that this park will act as a timeless reminder to generations to come that democracy triumphed over tyranny—that good triumphed over evil—because soldiers, like you and your Native American comrades, selflessly served and sacrificed in the face of great odds in the D-Day invasion.”
In Normandy today, on the 73 rd anniversary of D-Day, a memorial overlooking Omaha Beach was named after Mr. Shay, who, as a then-19-year old medic, was in the first wave of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 where he saved several of his wounded comrades. Mr. Shay, now 93, was later awarded a Silver Star for his actions. A plaque at the memorial reads in part:
“In honor of Charles Norman Shay and in grateful memory of the 500 American and Canadian Indian soldiers who participated in Operation Neptune for the liberation of Normandy on D-Day, June 6 th , 1944. About 175 American Indians invaded Omaha Beach. Some were medics, others fought as seamen, scouts, snipers, radio operators, machine gunners, artillery gunmen, combat engineers or forward observers. A member of the Penobscot Indian Nation, 19-year old Private Shay was a combat medic from Indian Island, Maine. Soon after dawn, he came ashore near here as a member of an assault platoon. Repeatedly plunging into the treacherous sea, he carrier critically wounded comrades to safety under heavy fire. For his unselfish heroism on this beach, he was awarded the Silver Star and he continued to save the wounded until the war ended.”
This story is related:
E ighty years after the D-Day invasions , many soldiers have still not been identified. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has accounted for at least seven soldiers through DNA matching. Three of those positive identifications have come in the past year.
"Part of the challenge is differentiating the remains, because, the chaos after the war," said Kelly McKeague, the agency’s director. "Obviously, the ones they could identify have been back home since the 1940s. The ones that are still missing are the ones we're looking for."
Nearly 73,000 U.S. troops landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944. More than 2,500 were killed or were missing in action. McKeague says hundreds are still yet to be identified.
"The case of those three soldiers, they were part of a landing craft on June 6 and hit a mine," said McKeague.
Army Cpl. Julius Wolfe, Army Sgt. John Herrick and Army Tech4 Elmo Hartwick were all part of the 149th Engineer Battalion. On D-Day, they boarded the same landing craft and headed for Omaha Beach.
Army Cpl. Julius Wolfe, Tech4 Elmo Hartwick and Sgt. John Herrick, each part of the 149th Engineer Battalion, were killed aboard the ill-fated vessel as it struck an underwater mine before it was able to beach at Normandy. Fox News © DPAA / Battlefield Museum
The soldiers would never make it to battle. The vessel struck a mine as it was hit by artillery fire. The craft exploded, killing around 200 onboard.
The three soldiers were buried as unknowns in four different graves at Normandy American Cemetery. The graves were exhumed in 2021, so scientists could analyze the DNA.
"DNA technology has advanced in incredible ways," McKeague said. "With World War II, Congress didn't give it to the Department of Defense until 2010. And so we're playing catch up in developing the historical references, the research with which to be able to pursue certain cases."
Two years after the remains were exhumed, officials were able to positively identify the three men killed onboard the landing craft.
Herrick will be buried on Veterans Day of this year in Emporia, Kansas . The date would have been his 100th birthday. Wolfe was buried in his hometown of Liberal, Missouri in April. A memorial service for Hartwick will be held in Onaga, Kansas at a later date.
Three men who died during D-Day invasion identified in last year (msn.com