George Shenkle, World War II veteran and former U.S. Army Soldier with the Easy Company, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, reacts as U.S. Army Soldiers parachute over the historic La Fiere drop zone near Sainte Mere Eglise, Normandy, France, June 7, 2015, to commemorate the 71st Anniversary of D-Day. More than 380 U.S. service members from Europe and affiliated D-Day historical units participated in the 71st Anniversary air drop as part of Joint Task Force D-Day 71. The task force, based in Sainte Mere Eglise, France, is supporting local events across Normandy, from June 2-8, 2015, to commemorate the selfless actions by all the Allies on D-Day that continue to resonate 71 years later. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Master Sgt. Brian Bahret)
The armed forces used code names to refer to planning and execution of specific military operations to prepare for D-Day. Operation Overlord was the code name for the Allied invasion of northwest Europe. The assault phase of Operation Overlord was known as Operation Neptune.
I finally arrived in Northern France to St. Mere Eglise (SME). My hotel is located just to the outskirts of town and was an easy walk into the town square. It is a surreal feeling to walk through such a historic location without the aid of an Xbox game controller while playing the latest Call of Duty video game or through a production that either starred or was directed by Tom Hanks. Here it was in real life and it really feels like history is alive here.This small town was founded in the 11th century but will forever be known as one of the first towns to be liberated from Nazi Germany by the Allied Forces during the Normandy landings to include the 82nd Airborne and U.S. 101st Airborne Divisions on June 6th, 1944.
SAINTE MERE EGLISE, France - After a well-deserved tribute at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Omaha Beach June 6, attended by four heads of state, the veterans of D-Day were honored again June 7. This tribute, however, was organized by and held in the town of Sainte Mere Eglise, the first town liberated by Allied forces on D-Day.