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The Normandy town of Sainte-Mère-Église, often cited as the first town to be liberated on D-Day, had always played an important part in the annual D-Day celebrations in the region. (And is also known as the place where paratrooper Private John Steel’s parachute famously got caught on a church tower.) This year, an unplanned event was added to the local festivities: the removal of a U.S. military flag… by a member of the U.S. military.
The Stop Bar in the town center, very close to the famous church, has long been a favorite meeting place for current and former members of the 82nd “All American” Airborne Division. A flagpole above the bar used to fly two flags: the U.S. flag at the top, and below it, the flag of the 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles (Read our earlier article). This has been rubbing 82nd service members wrong for a while, since, while soldiers from the 101st did fight for the town, it was mainly an 82nd affair. Whether out of a playful sense of rivalry or genuine resentment, a serving member of the 82nd climbed up to the flagpole during this year’s celebrations, cut down the 101st flag, and replaced it with the one of the 82nd while dozens of fellow 82nd veterans cheered him on from the street.
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