Iron Mike at La Fiere Bridge

This Iron Mike statue stands sentinel gazing over the Merderet River plain near La Fiere Bridge in Normandy, France. The airborne paratrooper symbolizes all the airborne soldiers and glider men who fought and died at La Fiere to protect the routes from Utah and Omaha Beach inland on and around D-Day in World War II. The June 6-9, 1944, battle here was described as "the bloodiest small arms battle" in U.S. Army history.