Flying Vikings Commemorate D-Day invasion

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Howard S. Bell
  • 96th Airlift Squadron
Normandy, France --  On May 10, 1940, Nazi Germany invaded France and started an occupation of its European neighbor. An occupation that would last until June 6, 1944, when allied forces from the United States, Britain, Canada and Poland executed Operation Overlord; the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.

Fast forward 66 years to May 25, 2010. A C-130 from the 934th Airlift Wing departed Minneapolis for Great Britain and France to participate in Operation Airdrop Warrior, an operation commemorating the 66th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Nazi occupied France. It was the first time an aircraft from the 96th AS had performed an airdrop over Normandy, France, since World War II when the 96th Troop Carrier squadron was part of the 440th Troop Carrier Group.

The C-130 from here met up with an aircraft from the 700th Air Refueling Squadron at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., and the 328th AS from Niagara Falls, N.Y. Together the three aircraft flew to Royal Air Force Lyneham in Great Britain where they joined up with members of the 30th and 47th squadrons of the RAF. After executing a joint coalition airdrop near Swindon, England the formation made its way across the English Channel to Cherbourg, France.

For many Americans, the events of WW II are little more than footnotes in history books or fodder for a good movie.
The anniversary of the D-Day invasion is a day of solemn ceremony and remembrance in France. The countryside in Normandy is dotted with monuments and museums from that period in their country's history; the beaches of Omaha and Utah, the towns of Picauville, Carentan and Sainte Mere Eglise and Big Mike drop zone, the target of the largest airdrop of the war.

On June 5, C-130s from the 37th AS led aircraft from Dobbins, Niagara and Minneapolis as well as C-160s from France and Germany across Big Mike Drop Zone in Normandy, France, and 500 paratroopers from four nations filled the skies with "silk" in commemoration of the D-Day invasion.

Residents from France as well as spectators and dignitaries from various parts of the world filled the local towns in order to view the spectacle. Following the airdrop, the formation of airlifters flew low over the French countryside, the beaches of Normandy and the cemeteries along its shores in tribute to those who fought and died there more than 60 years ago.

Later in the day, and for several days afterward, the members of the Flying Vikings participated in numerous ceremonies and parades paying respect to the thousands of people who gave their lives during the campaign. There were many opportunities for those who participated in the commemoration to meet with the people of France, hear their stories and share experiences. There is no question that the gratitude expressed by the residents of Normandy, 66 years after the D-Day invasion, was heartfelt and sincere.

One of the more poignant expressions of gratitude is etched in the sands of Omaha Beach. There, on a beautiful sunny day, near the water's edge of this expansive beach, a person wrote these unsolicited words of thanks to the thousands of people who selflessly gave their lives so many years ago.