Zionsville residents and American Legion Post 79 members, from left, Christian Stafford, Doug Stafford and Steve Broniarczyk attend the dedication of the Dwight D. Eisenhower statue in Sainte-Mère-Église in Manche, a coastal French administrative division in Normandy, during the 80th commemoration of D-Day June 6. Eisenhower served as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II. Sainte-Mère-Église was a key location on the road to Omaha Beach June 6, 1944. During the Normandy invasion, 30 paratroopers from the U.S. 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne divisions landed in the town of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, engaging in a battle with a German garrison that was later memorialized in the 1962 film ‘The Longest Day.’ Sainte-Mère-Église was among the first towns liberated by Allied forces.
