JTF D-Day 71 Graignes Ceremony 150605-A-DI144-485

French school kids stand in line holding flowers as they wait to place the flowers on the memorial during a ceremony honoring the memory of the Battle of Graignes. The worst misdrop on D-Day happened to the Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. They were to be dropped near Amfreville, France, but ended up 18 miles southeast, in a town called Graignes. Behind enemy lines and unsure of the situation, the leadership made a decision to stay where they were and defend that land. As luck would have it, the 170 soldiers and 10 officers landed in the mayor's field. A town meeting was held and all decided they would rally with the soldiers and provide support in the form of food, water, shelter and even their own lives for the defense of their town against the Germans. On June 5, 2015, service members with Joint Task Force D-Day 71 took part in a ceremony in Graignes, France, to honor the lives of all lost during the battle that waged here June 6-12, 1944. The 507th PIR was represented, as well as the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), Commander, Naval Forces Europe, and the Dutch Army and Band. Over 380 service members from

Date

2015-06-05

Photographer / author

Capt. Saska Ball

Archive

Wikimedia Commons

Type

photograph

Original size

2,867 × 1,911 pixels

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