'Big Red One' Soldiers participate in Carentan memorial dedication

By Sgt. 1st Class Abram PinningtonJune 6, 2014

'Big Red One' Soldiers participate in Carentan memorial dedication
1 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Grinston, the 1st Infantry Division's senior enlisted advister, escorts Navy veteran Christopher Brin before a dedication ceremony of a memorial for the 10st Airborne Division, in Carentan, France. Brin, a landing craft o... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Big Red One' Soldiers participate in Carentan memorial dedication
2 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Second Lt. Amber Hagy, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, marches alongside troops from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, the 10th Special Forces Group, as well as F... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Big Red One' Soldiers participate in Carentan memorial dedication
3 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers with the 1st Infantry Division, alongside troops from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, the 10th Special Forces Group, as well as French and German soldiers, helped dedicate a ne... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Big Red One' Soldiers participate in Carentan memorial dedication
4 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division render a hand salute during a wreath-laying ceremony June 4, 2014, at the Carentan Liberation Memorial in Carentan, France. While marching in a parade, the formation stopped to pay their respects, after helping l... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Big Red One' participates in Carentan memorial dedication
5 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. James Tripp and Spc. Forrest Krenke, both with 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Tea, 1st Infantry Division, stand at parade rest during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Carentan Liberation Memorial, in Carentan, France. While marching in a parade, the... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Big Red One' Soldiers participate in Carentan memorial dedication
6 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Grinston (left), the 1st Infantry Division.'s senior enlisted adviser, and Lt. Col. Joel Potts, division plans officer, render salutes during a wreath-laying ceremony June 4, 2014, at the Carentan Liberation Memorial in C... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Big Red One' Soldiers participate in Carentan memorial dedication
7 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A member of the French Foreign Legion salutes American Soldiers as they march by during a parade June 4, 2014, in the streets of Carentan, France. Both American and foreign Soldiers from France and Germany marched through the city as the citizens lin... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Big Red One' Soldiers participate in Carentan memorial dedication
8 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Grinston, the 1st Infantry Division senior enlisted adviser, stands in formation June 4, 2014, before a parade in Carentan, France. Both American and foreign Soldiers from France and Germany marched through the city as ci... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Big Red One' Soldiers participate in Carentan memorial dedication
9 / 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A French boy claps during a June 4, 2014, ceremony in Carentan, France. The ceremony helped dedicate a new memorial to the 101st Airborne Division, honoring those who sacrificed their lives helping liberate the city, in 1944. The boy laid flowers on ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

CARENTAN, France (June 5, 2014) -- Soldiers with the 1st Infantry Division, alongside troops from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, the 10th Special Forces Group, as well as French and German soldiers, helped dedicate a new memorial dedicated to the 101st Airborne Division, here, yesterday.

The memorial honors the famed 101st, but is a monument that represents all the men who liberated the city from the Germans, in 1944. The ceremony featured 26 men who landed on Omaha and Utah beaches, June 6, 1944. Near the conclusion of the ceremony, the men were awarded the French Legion of Merit medal for their hard-fought victory 70 years ago.

"The secret to happiness is freedom," Jean Pierre Lhonneur, the city's mayor, said. "And the secret to freedom is courage. All of you American veterans are courageous and will forever be remembered for that."

Several hundred citizens of the city attended the event, many of who waved American flags. The crowd cheered loudly as each veteran was called over the speakers when given their medal.

"Our past has created for us a common future," Lhonneur said. "It is our great honor to be with you here today. The soil here is yours, forever."

After the conclusion of the ceremony, the allied forces marched through the city as the citizens lined the streets to pay their respects.

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Army.mil: D-Day

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