thedrifter
05-27-09, 07:02 AM
For the 65th anniversary of D-Day, a special celebration
By Kevin Dougherty, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, May 27, 2009
No matter what year it is, events that commemorate the Allied landings in Normandy, France, are a big deal.
But when a program includes the president of the United States, scores of World War II veterans and a special anniversary year such this, it takes on an aura well before the fireworks fly. That promises to be the case June 6 when people gather in Normandy to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
"Each town has something going on," said Dan Neese, superintendent of the Normandy American Cemetery in Coleville-Sur-Mer, which overlooks Omaha Beach.
This year’s D-Day commemorative events run June 3-7. The cemetery will host the main U.S. ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on June 6. President Barack Obama is expected to address a crowd that Neese estimates will be 7,000 to 8,000 strong. The ceremony, however, is by invitation only.
World War II veterans have a specific point of contact in Linda Wollman. Her e-mail address is wollmanla@state.gov.
Even without a ticket to the main ceremony, there are plenty of other events scheduled over the five-day observance.
Military re-enactors and their refurbished WW II vehicles will surely be out in force every day. Additionally, the U.S. military is supporting more than 20 events, from wreath-laying ceremonies and aircraft flyovers to marches and luncheons. The French, British and Canadians will also mark the occasion with various ceremonies.
Here is a list of events:
June 3: Veterans and active-duty servicemembers will be feted in the village of Ste.-Mère-Église. As per tradition, several U.S. servicemembers will be the guests of local families and treated to home-cooked meals. The people of Ste.-Mère-Église are enormously proud of being the first French town to be liberated, and Americans are warmly greeted whenever they visit, especially in early June.
June 5: Picauville officials are scheduled to dedicate a new memorial to 9th Air Force personnel killed in aircraft crashes during the invasion. The memorial will also honor paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions who perished alongside the aircrews. A ceremony and fireworks display at Utah Beach, the other amphibious landing zone in the U.S. sector, is planned as well.
A coordinated fireworks display is set for the evening.
"Every town on the coast will set off fireworks at the same time," Neese said. "They’ll light up the coast."
June 6: A ceremony will mark the expansion of the Airborne Museum in Ste.-Mère-Église. The main ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery will be held at 2:30 p.m. and broadcast live.
June 7: The commemoration wraps up when about 300 paratroopers from the U.S. and other nations perform an airborne drop near Ste.-Mère-Église.
Ellie
By Kevin Dougherty, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, May 27, 2009
No matter what year it is, events that commemorate the Allied landings in Normandy, France, are a big deal.
But when a program includes the president of the United States, scores of World War II veterans and a special anniversary year such this, it takes on an aura well before the fireworks fly. That promises to be the case June 6 when people gather in Normandy to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
"Each town has something going on," said Dan Neese, superintendent of the Normandy American Cemetery in Coleville-Sur-Mer, which overlooks Omaha Beach.
This year’s D-Day commemorative events run June 3-7. The cemetery will host the main U.S. ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on June 6. President Barack Obama is expected to address a crowd that Neese estimates will be 7,000 to 8,000 strong. The ceremony, however, is by invitation only.
World War II veterans have a specific point of contact in Linda Wollman. Her e-mail address is wollmanla@state.gov.
Even without a ticket to the main ceremony, there are plenty of other events scheduled over the five-day observance.
Military re-enactors and their refurbished WW II vehicles will surely be out in force every day. Additionally, the U.S. military is supporting more than 20 events, from wreath-laying ceremonies and aircraft flyovers to marches and luncheons. The French, British and Canadians will also mark the occasion with various ceremonies.
Here is a list of events:
June 3: Veterans and active-duty servicemembers will be feted in the village of Ste.-Mère-Église. As per tradition, several U.S. servicemembers will be the guests of local families and treated to home-cooked meals. The people of Ste.-Mère-Église are enormously proud of being the first French town to be liberated, and Americans are warmly greeted whenever they visit, especially in early June.
June 5: Picauville officials are scheduled to dedicate a new memorial to 9th Air Force personnel killed in aircraft crashes during the invasion. The memorial will also honor paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions who perished alongside the aircrews. A ceremony and fireworks display at Utah Beach, the other amphibious landing zone in the U.S. sector, is planned as well.
A coordinated fireworks display is set for the evening.
"Every town on the coast will set off fireworks at the same time," Neese said. "They’ll light up the coast."
June 6: A ceremony will mark the expansion of the Airborne Museum in Ste.-Mère-Église. The main ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery will be held at 2:30 p.m. and broadcast live.
June 7: The commemoration wraps up when about 300 paratroopers from the U.S. and other nations perform an airborne drop near Ste.-Mère-Église.
Ellie