It was just a few years ago through a conversation with a gentleman from the Netherlands, that I learned of the adoptions of American graves by grateful Europeans. Adopting a grave means keeping it neat, placing flowers and recognizing the Fallen on important dates, some maintain communications with US family members and some, like the gentleman I mentioned, even setup websites to honor those who protected their freedom and now rest on their land. Some cemeteries even have waiting lists of citizens who wish to adopt an American Fallen Hero's grave.
As the residents of Picauville, France pay honor to those who came to their country and fought for their freedom on D-Day, they bring their children as they pass on the meaning of freedom and the history behind it. They also add to the memorial they have built for the 101st and 82nd Airborne crews and paratroopers who gave the ultimate sacrifice on June 6th of 1944.
Numerous such celebrations are taking place in France and Europe to honor this epic day in history and the lives who enjoyed freedom because of it. We should give thanks that no such invasion has taken place on our shores. We should share this and every important event in history with our children and in our communities and never let them or the people who served and fell ever be forgotten.
Picauville Residents Honor Fallen D-Day Troops
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.American Forces Press Service PICAUVILLE, France, June 5, 2014 - The determination of this community to honor the memory of the American pilots and soldiers who fought for their liberty during D-Day is evident, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe said here today. Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, also commander of U.S. European Command, spoke to veterans, family members, local citizens and members of the Association Picauville Remembers. Breedlove paid his respects during the unveiling of a new addition to a monument honoring C-47 Skytrain military transport crews and paratroopers from the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions who lost their lives in the area during D-Day operations 70 years. "I'm proud to be here with you today as we dedicate the new section of this monument to the memory of those from Picauville," he said. Before the ceremony, the general said he had the honor of meeting Brucie Campbell, daughter of Lt. Col. Bruce Parcell, who was "one of the many men we lost during the Battle of Normandy." "Named after her father, little Brucie was born a month after her father's death," Breedlove said. "She was not even a year old when her father's posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross was pinned to her gown." The general noted how she grew up never knowing her father, whose name was emblazoned alongside those who served with him on the new plaque honoring their "bravery and heroic actions." It is impossible, Breedlove said, to understand the personal price she has paid over her lifetime for the freedom her father sacrificed for. Breedlove also recalled meeting John Bessups, a man from the Netherlands who grew up near several World War II battlefields and "always been interested in this war." "In 2005, he visited the D-Day battlegrounds and the beaches for the first time," the general said. "There he learned about adopting the graves of U.S. soldiers who were killed during World War II. He has adopted three soldiers." After listing the three soldiers, Breedlove said Bessups routinely corresponds with the soldiers' family members, puts flowers and flags on their graves at Christmas, Easter, their birthdays and the dates of their death. "He looks after the graves of his soldiers because their families cannot," he said. Breedlove added, "It was amazing for me to learn that the American Cemetery in Margraten is the only cemetery in the world where every one of the 8,301 graves has been adopted." There's a waiting list for further adoptions, he said, noting U.S. troops who never came home from the war are being looked after by the French, Dutch, Belgian and German citizens. "The determination of this community to retain the memory of the American pilots and soldiers who fought for their liberty is evident in the face of every person I have met from Picauville," he said. "You are the children of liberty," Breedlove added, "and your commitment to honoring your liberators is beautifully embodied in this monument today." The general said he was "most impressed" by the inclusion of children into the ceremony. "It's evident that you are passing on the responsibility to remember and respect the actions of brave young men and women who contributed to the success of the greatest endeavor ever undertaken in the name of liberty," Breedlove said. From the blood spilled on this ground, he said, a proud legacy has grown as those that fought "saved our way of life." The most amazing outcome of the post-World War II era, Breedlove said, has been the proud confederation that is today's NATO alliance. "Enemies on the battlefield 70 years ago are now staunch allies, and the bond across the Atlantic Ocean, born here in the Normandy region, is stronger than it has ever been," he said. "Through a promise of collective defense we have earned seven decades of peace, security and prosperity," Breedlove added. (Follow Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone Marshall on Twitter: @MarshallAFPS)
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Related Sites: D-Day and the Invasion of Normandy Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe U.S. European Command |
