Reflections On This Year's D-Day Celebrations In France Being Cancelled For The First Time Since 1945

U.S. Soldiers disembark a landing craft at Normandy, France, June 6, 1944. By the end of the day, some 150,000 Allied troops had landed on five Normandy beaches and three airborne drop zones. The invasion marked the beginning of the final phase of World War II in Europe, which ended with the surrender of Germany the following May. (DOD photo courtesy of the National Infantry Museum/Released)

Defense News: D-Day at 76: Celebrations in France have been cancelled for the first time since 1945

The Friends of American Veterans Association in France organizes ceremonies every year to honor American soldiers who gave their lives for the liberation of the country. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all celebrations had to be cancelled.

The tradition of honoring American veterans started in 1945 when the mayor of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, a town in Normandy, felt that he owed his gratitude to those who served.

Sainte-Mere-Eglise was the first town in Normandy to be liberated. It is perhaps best known by the 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper, Sgt. John Steele, whose parachute got caught up on a church steeple there in the early morning hours of June 6.

It soon became a behind-the-lines base and burial site for American troops. The mayor, Alexandre Renaud, and his wife, Simone, were two of the few English speakers in the town and played a major role in relations with the Americans.

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WNU Editor: This is beyond sad. But I guess it is the sign of the times. Breaking Covid-19 quarantines to demonstrate against racial injustice is important and it is OK .... regardless of the consequences. But very little attention or focus on D-Day and why it is an important event that should be celebrated and never forgotten by all generations. Covid-19 restrictions or not. I noticed that the media was particularly negligent. Giving little if any coverage of D-Day during the weekend.