The Ladies for Liberty performing on the big stage at Sainte-Mère-Église square.Since the 70th Anniversary of D-Day I have had the privilege and honor
to work for the Ladies of Liberty. Traveling with four beautiful women,
the singers and our French translator, they always drew attention
wherever we went. The Ladies for Liberty performed the French and US
national anthem at ceremonies and concerts across Normandy for the
people of France. This year the 75th Anniversary was very special not
just for us but for the C-47s that crossed over from the United States.
Thousands of people from around the world celebrated the rare oppor-
tunity to see not only the C-47s but hear the ladies sing music from the
1940s like the Andrew Sisters.
The Ladies performed on the biggest stage at Sainte-Mère-Église square
and traveled around Normandy meeting some of the veterans that were
in Normandy at the time of the D-Day invasion. Tanks and jeeps rolled
through the countryside and surprised everyone blocking traffic at
certain times of the day. Even though our schedule was tight we were
able to see some jumps with the C-47s at La Fiere. The Patrouille de
France aerobatic team performed a flyover to kickoff the La Fiere event
and even though we had to leave to perform at Sainte-Mère-Église,
during the concert you could still see paratroopers dropping out of
planes off in the distance during the concert. It was an amazing experi-
ence to see how everyone walked for miles to attend these events and
ceremonies. You really learn to appreciate what we have in the United
States after you experience the lifestyle in Normandy.After speaking with some of the French people in Normandy they
expressed to me they will always celebrate the D-Day Anniversary
every year and I hope they never stop. The World War II veterans will
always be honored and treated like royalty.