By Cmdr. Alison Maruca, Security Assistance Group-Ukraine

Sainte‑Mère‑Église, France — In the heart of the first town liberated on D‑Day, U.S. Army leaders, Veterans, paratroopers, and local residents gathered to honor the legacy of the Allied Airborne forces who landed in on the beach of Normandy 82 years ago. Lt. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, commanding general, Security Assistance Group–Ukraine (SAG‑U) and NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), delivered commemorative remarks grounded in the courage, sacrifice, and enduring spirit of the paratroopers who fought for freedom, democracy, and human rights on June 6, 1944.

The ceremony, held in the center of Sainte‑Mère‑Église at the Airborne Monument, drew an audience of Veterans, French citizens, U.S. service members, and visitors from around the world. The Airborne Chorus and a U.S. Air Force quintet performed as approximately twenty paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division participated in the event, which remains one of the most symbolic commemorations of the annual D‑Day observances.

Lt. Gen. Buzzard opened by paying tribute to the 24,000 Allied paratroopers from the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the British 6th Airborne Division who launched the first phase of the liberation of Western Europe. He highlighted the scale and audacity of the airborne assault: 16,000 American and 8,000 British paratroopers jumping or landing by glider into darkness, confusion, and fierce resistance. Their mission—to seize key terrain, block German counterattacks, and open the way for the beach landings—set the conditions for the success of Operation Overlord.

The ceremony also included remarks from U.S. Army Col (Ret) Keith Nightingale, esteemed D-Day historian, and Maurice Renaud, youngest son of the former mayor of Sainte‑Mère‑Église, Alexandre Renaud. Both speakers elaborated on the incredible strength and fortitude exhibited by all paratroopers who took part in Operation Overlord and the mark that it left on history.

The commemoration in Sainte-Mère-Église closed with a reminder that the legacy of the airborne forces is not confined to history. It lives on in the soldiers who continue to defend freedom today and, in the communities — French, American, and Allied — who gather each year to honor them. The 82nd anniversary of D-Day is a reminder of the courage, sacrifice, and unity of U.S. and Allied forces who fought to liberate the world from tyranny.