Statues finally give the “Mighty Eighth” a place of their own 81 years after D-Day.
American Legion National Commander James A. LaCoursiere Jr., a U.S. Air Force veteran, stood among legends Thursday.
Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, Col. Donald J.M. Blakeslee, Lt. Col. Robert Rosenthal and Staff Sgt. Maynard “Snuffy” Smith were immortalized with a quartet of glistening new statues at La Fiere Bridge Memorial Park in remembrance of the Eighth Army Air Force, which provided vital air support for the Allied D-Day landings of June 6, 1944, that broke Germany’s grip on continental Europe and led to victory in that theater of World War II.
In his remarks, among top active-duty and retired commanders of the Eighth Air Force, LaCoursiere called the monument “a long-overdue memorial to my military ancestors. Until now, the airmen of the Mighty Eighth – as retired Gen. Michael ‘Buzz’ Moseley observed – had ‘no solid battlefield to commemorate.’ That is, until now. Their day has rightfully come.”
The June 5 ceremony was one of many remembrance activities the national commander took in during the week of the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion that led to Europe’s liberation in World War II.
The commander explained to the crowd that the park near Ste. Mere-Eglise, first French town liberated on D-Day, is protected by a three-way agreement between The American Legion, Amis des Veterans Americains and the City of Ste. Mere-Eglise “to ensure that this hallowed ground will never be sold or used in any other way than to honor the memories of those who fought to the death for the liberation of Europe. Today, that honor rightfully extends to the Mighty Eighth, so many of whom gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today.”
The national commander, joined by American Legion Past National Commander Daniel J. Seehafer, paid respects of the nation’s largest organization of U.S. military veterans at wreath-laying ceremonies at the Normandy American Cemetery and the Brittany American Cemetery June 5-6, as well. LaCoursiere was also a guest at the posthumous presentation of the Distinguished Service Cross to Sgt. William Owens, whose life-saving heroism at the La Fiere Bridge battle on D-Day and in the days that followed, had not previously been recognized. Emotional descendants of Owens accepted the medal and citation in his memory at the memorial park.
Gen. Moseley, who commanded the Eighth U.S. Air Force before serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke of the range of figures portrayed in the newly unveiled statues, intricately sculpted by renowned artist Benjamin Victor, 80 years after V-E Day. “What a fitting site, and a fitting occasion, to look at these four airmen and reflect on their actions that directly impacted the landings of 6 June, ’44 … This is truly sacred ground for the American military.”
Explaining that La Fiere Bridge was the site of what has been described as the bloodiest small-arms battle in the history of U.S. warfare and that it took a massive collaboration of sea, land and air forces to achieve success in Normandy, he described the airmen portrayed in the statues and their meaning.
“These aren’t just four guys.”
Gen. Doolittle, he explained, moved into command of the Eighth after historically successful leadership of the 12th and the 15th Army Air Forces. “His personal touch and leadership were key to crushing the opposing Luftwaffe and assuring air superiority prior to the landings. He was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt, and he remains the only American to receive both the country’s highest military and civilian honors – the Medal of Honor and the Medal of Freedom. There’s only one guy: Jimmy Doolittle.”
Col. Rosenthal of the 100th Bomb Group, he explained, “was an incredible combat leader, who led from the front, in the tradition of the American Air Force. After completion of his 25 missions, he volunteered for another 25. He flew 52 times, was shot down twice, and broke the same arm twice.” A lawyer, Rosenthal later volunteered and was selected as a Nazi war-crimes prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials.
Command pilot Blakeslee made the first enemy kill from a P-47 in the war and soon lobbied to get the new P-51. “He gets it, but they don’t give him time to train his guys. So, he gets them in a room and says, ‘We’re going deep into Germany.’
“And they say, ‘Boss, we don’t even know how to start this thing up.’
“He goes, ‘That’s OK. The crew chief will start it up, and you can learn how to fly it on the way to the target. Follow me.’”
In three and a half years, Blakeslee flew more combat missions in the war than any other fighter pilot and was awarded numerous medals.
The fourth figure, that of ball turret gunner Sgt. “Snuffy” Smith, stands apart because it was on Smith’s first combat mission when his plane got hit on the way to and from the target. He provided aid to wounded crew, fought a fire inside the craft – emptying the fire extinguishers before finally emptying his bladder to put the flames out – and fired on enemy planes after others jumped. But because Smith was stubborn, a little obnoxious, and ‘didn’t work well with others,’’ the retired general explained, he was demoted to private and assigned KP duty. He was in the kitchen when word came that he was to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions on that first mission.
The Eighth Air Force memorial at La Fiere Bridge was brought into existence by the Normandy Institute near Picauville – and a collection of supporters, from Shell Oil and GE Aerospact to The American Legion and Amis des Veterans Americains. Participating in the day’s events was filmmaker Kirk Sadusky, co-producer of Masters of the Air, The Pacific and Band of Brothers, family members of the World War II heroes, top-ranking officers from the Air Force, Army and joint commands, along with 13 Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., high school students learning about Normandy through Operation Democracy, with whom The American Legion has had a long alliance in civics education.
- Honor & Remembrance