Agreement protects memorial site in Normandy

It has been described as the site of the bloodiest small-unit battle in the history of American warfare. From the moment U.S. paratroopers jumped at night behind enemy lines and into Normandy on D-Day, the key objective was to secure a "bridgehead" to keep German forces from countering the famous landings at Utah Beach and Omaha Beach. On the ground, the U.S. soldiers immediately faced fierce combat that might have changed the course of World War II if not for the resolve of those who came to fight and die for the liberation of Europe in June 1944. Hundreds of Americans gave their lives to hold the La Fiere Bridge that crosses the Merderet River.

Thousands gathered at the same location Sunday to watch parachutists jump from low elevations into the grassy meadows along the river, hear speeches from dignitaries, watch as French Legion of Honor medals were pinned on chests and to see American Legion National Commander Dale Barnett sign a three-party agreement to keep the monument and statue filled memorial site there a place of perpetual remembrance. The American Legion, the City of Ste. Mere-Eglise and Amis des Veterans Americains inked an agreement that will require consent from all three parties to ever change the site into anything other than hallowed ground to honor those who fell fighting there.

"When my own U.S. Army career came to an end in 1996, I made a commitment to share with young people many of the lessons I had learned as a soldier and wartime officer," Barnett said at Sunday's ceremony, which included about a dozen World War II veterans, active-duty paratroopers, top officers from multiple nations and American Legion 100th Anniversary Honorary Committee member Susan Eisenhower. "To fulfill that commitment, I became a high school teacher. It was vitally important to me – as it clearly is to you – that new generations understand the meaning of military service, wartime sacrifice, and the price nations must sometimes pay for freedom. It can be a difficult lesson to teach."

Barnett praised the Normans for their commitment to keep the story of the invasion vivid and meaningful for new generations. "Here in Normandy, I am awestruck by all the effort that has gone into your remembrance of World War II sacrifice. The museum. The memorial. The city. The culture. Today, I will sign an agreement with the AVA and the city to help ensure that this memorial park will always remain sacred ground, a place of friendship, honor and remembrance for all who will come here to learn, long after we are gone."

The American Legion National Executive Committee passed a resolution during the May 2016 Spring Meetings to sign the accord with the AVA, which owns the property, and the City of Ste. Mere-Eglise, which maintains it. Signing for the AVA Sunday was Maurice Renaud, the association's president and childhood witness to the airborne assault, and Ste. Mere-Eglise Mayor Jean Quetier. The American Legion has been an active participant in D-Day anniversary ceremonies and events at the La Fiere site for nearly a decade. In 2017, a plaque will be installed to recognize the agreement as a "shared sacred duty to help preserve the memory of U.S. military sacrifice in the Normandy battles of June, July and August 1944."