Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: Sailors to get Normandy Monument
Sailors to get Normandy Monument
More than 1,000 U.S. Navy sailors died during the first days of the June 1944 Normandy landings - about 20 percent of the Americans who died there. Remarkably, the Navy is the only service that is not memorialized on the Normandy beaches by a monument or marker.
That will no longer be the case after Sept. 27, when Navy and Coast Guard sailors who died during the invasion will be memorialized at Utah Beach, on land donated by the French government. The U.S. Navy D-Day Monument will take its place among more than 60 other monuments and markers in Normandy that commemorate the service and sacrifice of all U.S. and Allied armed forces that participated in the invasion.
"We think all veterans will want to know that sailors who participated in the various phases of the Normandy invasion will, at long last, get a meaningful tribute alongside their brothers in arms," said retired Navy Capt. Ken Johnson, commander general of the Naval Order of the United States.
During the invasion, 1,068 Navy and Coast Guard sailors were killed. U.S Coast Guard units operated under Navy control during the war, and their casualties are included in the total Navy count for the Normandy invasion.
Two years ago, the Naval Order began a campaign to erect a monument at the famous battle site. This past March, the 117-year-old fraternal naval historical organization reached its $500,000 goal and received final approval from the American Battle Monuments Commission to proceed with plans to erect the monument.
The project has garnered some high-powered endorsements, including celebrity Tom Hanks, chairman of the National World War II Memorial; former U.S. Sen. Robert Dole; U.S. Sen. John McCain; and former President George H.W. Bush. "As a former Navy man myself, I salute the Naval Order for taking this ‘labor of love' to honor all those who were part of that campaign and, most especially, those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom," Bush wrote in a letter of support.
The monument was designed by sculptor Stephen Spears of Fair Hope, Ala., at his own expense. It depicts three figures, each representing an element of the D-Day operation - planning and execution, implementation and aftermath. The 8-foot-tall figures will rest upon a 4-foot-high base with five sides, rimmed by a bronze plaque that will list all of the Navy vessels that participated in the Normandy invasion.
"It's our hope that we can get the word out to as many veterans as possible that the Utah Beach ceremony is taking place Sept. 27," Johnson said. "If at all possible, we want to avoid a scenario in which a Navy veteran of the Normandy invasion, with the desire and means to attend the monument dedication, is unable to do so because he lacks information."
The Naval Order Web site provides current information about the monument's dedication, and tours of Normandy incidental to the event. Veterans and their families may also contact monument project chairman Greg Streeter at (904) 221-0923 or e-mailing gstreeter@bellsouth.net, or Dan Felger at (202) 488-8268 or danjeandc@verizon.net. Those who wish to attend the Sept. 27 event should be certain they have valid passports.
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1814
Location: Boydton, Virginia | Subject: RE: Sailors to get Normandy Monument
The D-Day memorial in Bedford, Va. lists all Navy vessels that participated in the invasion. It also lists all KIA on the wall surrounding the memorial. I assume Navy casaulties are included. If you can possibly travel to see this site, it is well worth the trip. It is very well done.
Steamboat sends |
Sailors to get Normandy Monument
