BEUZEVILLE AU PLAIN, France - It was the eve of D-Day, and one of the largest airborne fleets ever amassed was preparing to move out toward occupied France. Amongst the aircraft were thousands of paratroopers from the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the 82nd Airborne Division.
In the early morning of June 6, 1944, two C-47 Dakotas, designated flight numbers 66 and 67, took enemy fire and crashed near Sainte Mere Eglise, close to Beuzeville au Plain. There were no survivors. Ultimately, 17 bodies were recovered and sent back to the U.S. to be buried with full military honors.
In commemoration of their sacrifice, U.S. Army paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), local French nationals, family and friends participated in a ceremony at the Currahee Memorial in the Normandy region June 3, 2015, as part of the 71st anniversary of the D-Day landings here.
One paratrooper from the 101st had the privilege of laying the wreath down during the commemoration ceremony.
"We're here to honor those men who lost their lives during the crash," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James Smith assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
"It's an honor to be chosen to place the wreath today," said Smith. "This is my unit that fought here and so for me it's important to remember events like this because without their legacy we would not be here."
Of the many paratroopers on board that day two men unknowingly brought life back to those who once were thought to be forgotten. In 1991 Guy Lepretre, a Belgian, discovered a ring belonging to U.S. Army 1st Lt. Thomas Meehan III and a dog tag of U.S. Army Technician 5th Grade Jerry Wentzel, both assigned to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
"Thanks to the dog tags, we were able to identify the U.S. Soldiers who crashed here," said Lepretre. "We continue to find pieces buried near the crash site. If we do, we try to identify who it belonged to so we can send them to their families."
Over time, Lepretre and French national Jean Pierre started the "Forced Landing Association" and not only raised the money to have a monument built but they also did the work themselves.
"They wanted to turn this place into a parking lot but we would not stand for that," said Pierre. "It is important that we do not forget what happened here or the sacrifice these men made for their country and for us."
The monument was built to look like the tail rudder of a Dakota C-47. Behind the plaque with the names of the paratroopers of the 506th Infantry Regiment and the crew of the Dakota there is an urn containing ashes from the original crash site of flight number 66.
"This whole experience is very humbling," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kurt Thompson, deputy commander of 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). "I've been a Soldier for 21 years, and you can read about it all you want but when you come and really see it and you talk to the people, and what it means to them. That's all you can really hope for that you know that your sacrifice - your blood, your sweat, your tears - will actually make a difference and no one will ever forget you."
"I think if we were to come back 70 years from now and they will still remember, and they will still be honoring the sacrifices of the Soldiers who lost their lives here," said Thompson.
Meehan's remains were returned in 1952 and are now buried at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Saint Louis County, Missouri. He shares a gravesite with the C-47 aircrew and fellow paratroopers of that flight.
Over 380 service members from Europe and affiliated D-Day historical units are participating in the 71st anniversary as part of Joint Task Force D-Day 71. The Task Force, based in Sainte Mere Eglise, France, is supporting local events across Normandy, June 2-8, 2015, to commemorate the selfless actions by all the Allies on D-Day that continue to resonate 71 years later.
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