Every year, soldiers from around the world travel to the historic hamlet of Sainte-Mere-Eglise in Normandy, France, to pay tribute to the brave men and women who took part in Operation Overlord in June 1944.
Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division joined French and German troops in a ceremony to honor and commemorate personnel from the Easy Company, 506th Parachute Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, who were killed when a C-47 was hit by enemy fire.
Task Force 78 and 207th Military Intelligence Brigade – Theater Commander Col. Mark Denton speaks at the ceremony. In Denton’s speech, he spoke about the selflessness and impeccable bravery of the famous Easy Company employees.
“When I imagine the hours before the Normandy D-Day in June 1944, I think of the brave soldiers and what they must have been thinking as they prepared to execute what is still called the largest multinational amphibious landing ever and military airdrops in history. ,” Denton said.
Nearly 78 years later, French soldiers, civilians and government officials still welcome American soldiers to their land with open arms.
“I am very grateful to the French people,” Denton said at the end of the ceremony. “Today, the French people welcome our soldiers into their towns and communities, just as they did more than 70 years ago.”
In honor of D-Day, Task Force 78 welcomed 30 World War II veterans back to Normandy. While in France, veterans will take part in commemorations. For some veterans, it was their first return to Normandy since World War II.
207th Military Intelligence Brigade – Theater conducts intelligence analysis, collection and utilization in support of the Southern European Task Force on Africa (SETAF)[1]AF) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) to establish a theater intelligence architecture to disrupt transnational and transregional threats and promote regional stability in Africa while building and maintaining intelligence readiness. Task Force 78 is responsible for housing, feeding and transporting some 600 soldiers from around the world to nearly 60 ceremonies in Normandy.
