church – Laurie Apgar Chandler

Oh, my goodness, how will we ever go back to oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast?

Blue skies and sunshine warmed my early morning walk to the boulangerie. Lance had made me promise to bring back a generous selection of pastries, and I think I fulfilled my mission. After breakfast, with the GPS set for Juno Beach, we drove through one picturesque little village after another. Every few minutes, one of us would remark on cows in a green valley or a glimpse of an ancient manor house or flowers climbing a curving stone wall. In places, the roads are so narrow that cars must take turns in passing through. At Juno Beach, where 14,000 Canadians landed on D-Day, a raw wind and cloudy skies set a more somber note.

Canada House may well have been the first house on French soil liberated by seaborne Allied Forces. Over 100 Canadians of The Queen’s Own Rifles were killed or wounded here soon after landing. Not far down the beach is a German bunker.

Photo of D-Day showing Canada House and troops carrying bicycles for traveling inland

In 1944, the sands of Juno Beach were lower, and soldiers scaled the seawall with ladders, no doubt under heavy enemy fire.

The site of the Church of Notre-Dame in Bernières-sur-Mer was donated by Bishop Odon, brother of William the Conqueror. The building dates to the 12th and 13th centuries. The bell tower, with its three bells, one of the tallest in the region, became a navigational landmark for ships.

I lit a candle in this sacred space. My prayer was for peace.

Looking down on the Canadian cemetery from one of two stone towers near the entrance.

Maple trees shade flowered rows of markers, and some of the family epitaphs are in French. My favorite read: We’d give all the world and more, to see you come smiling through the door.

History met us once more at Le Green Howards, where we had croque monsieur (toasted ham and cheese sandwiches) for lunch. Around the corner was a statue memorializing that British regiment, which landed at Gold Beach. Sergeant Major Stanley Hollis of the Green Howards received the only Victoria Cross to be awarded on D-Day.

This may be the best photograph of the trip

For months, we have dreamed of visiting Sainte-Mère-Eglise, the village most sacred to the legend of the fighting paratrooper. On June 5, in preparation for the D-Day beach landings, paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st divisions landed here, often far from their intended drop zones. A week ahead of the 80th anniversary celebrations, many current and former Airborne troops are gathering here to honor them. Vintage Jeeps and Army motorcycles are scattered around the square.

A reminder of the dangers of war, as well as the moments of mercy

If you know this village, it may well be through the touching story of Private John Steele of the 82nd Airborne. As he drifted toward the village square that fateful night, his parachute caught on the church steeple. There he hung for hours, playing dead, while two armed German soldiers watched from the windows. Realizing the American was alive, they took him prisoner, rather than kill him in that sacred place. Steele soon escaped and survived the war.

Rugged wooden doors and simple stone floors worn from countless steps contrast with the elegance of the pulpit and altar. Here, I lit a candle for the brave men of June 5.

Stained glass window created for the 25th anniversary of D-Day. Note the parachute above.

The Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Eglise follows the Airborne divisions of World War II from their creation through D-Day and beyond. Original war footage, full-scale dioramas, and an amazing collection of original uniforms and equipment, often tied to stories of the soldiers who wore and used them.