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Video by Sgt. Mariah Gonzalez

B-Roll Package: Eternal Heroes Memorial Ceremony

173rd Airborne Brigade

June 5, 2023 | 6:03

World War II veterans and representatives of the 82nd Airborne Division, 101st Airborne Division, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and various other airborne units honor fallen paratroopers who liberated Ravenoville, France in June, 1944 as part of the Eternal Heroes’ Memorial ceremony in Sainte-Mère-Église, France, June 5, 2023.

World War II veteran, Vincent Speranza, who served as a machine gunner with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during the “Battle of the Bulge,” sings the famous paratrooper song, “Blood On The Risers,” as members of the audience sing along.

On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 troops from the Allied Forces invaded Normandy, France, from the sea and air. Approximately 4,000 Soldiers lost their lives, and the battle changed the course of World War ll.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance.

(U.S. Army video by Sgt. Mariah Y. Gonzalez)