An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Charleston AFB plays role in D-Day remembrance

  • Published
Members of the 437th Airlift Wing and 315th Airlift Wing here will commemorate the Normandy invasion Saturday, airdropping about 90 Soldiers at a drop zone in Normandy, France.

These Soldiers will parachute in just as they did in 1944, only this time, they will not be met by enemy fire.

This event, which some say may be the last major commemorative event held to honor the veterans of this invasion, will involve a 16 aircraft and about 700 Army paratroopers.

"There will be nine C-130s, three MC-130s, two of McChord AFB's C-17s and two of our C-17s," said Lt. Col. Steve Dellies, 437th AW, chief of standardization and evaluation. "We'll have about 45 jumpers in each C-17."

The 437th AW will play an important part in this commemorative event, but its role 60 years ago was far more significant.

Predecessor to the 437th Operations Group, the 437th Troop Carrier Group originally activated on May 1, 1943. The 437th TCG began training C-47 Skytrain and CG-4A Hadrian glider pilots for combat duty soon after activation, according to Tech. Sgt. Nancy Huber, 437th AW historian.

During the Normandy invasion, the 437th TCG successfully delivered their gliders and thousands of paratroopers into the combat zone. These accomplishments earned the group the Distinguished Unit Citation, France, June 6-7, 1944.

Three D-Day veterans are flying on board one of Team Charleston's C-17s during the upcoming commemorative airdrop; two C-47 pilots and an aircraft mechanic. The three were members of the 15th Troop Carrier Squadron, 61st Troop Carrier Group, which is now Charleston AFB's 15th Airlift Squadron.

While all of Charleston AFB's airlift squadrons can trace their history back to World War II, the 14th and 15th airlift squadrons were directly involved in the Normandy invasion.

"The 15th AS is extremely proud of our heritage, and these veterans helped lay our squadron's foundation," said Capt. Rich Van Slyke, 15th AS executive officer. "We feel very strongly about showing our veterans how much we appreciate their selfless service to our country during World War II, and having them be a part of the 60th D-Day Commemoration will express, in volumes, how we feel."

One of the veterans was the pilot of the 13th C-47 in the original airdrop, Colonel Dellies said. As a part of the commemorative airdrop, this veteran will be aboard the 13th plane again, this time a Charleston C-17.

"The 14th Troop Carrier Squadron was there for the Allied retaking of the Continent on D-Day and we are truly humbled and privileged to fly with some of the original World War II veterans and to participate in the commemoration of this phenomenal event," added Lt. Col. A.J. McMillan, 14th AS commander.

This airdrop, one of several commemorative events taking place in Normandy, has been in the works for nearly a year.

"We started planning last June," said Army Capt. Robert Risdon, 1st Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment operations officer at Fort Benning, Ga., and one of the jumpers in the commemorative event. "We were fortunate we started early. Getting the aircraft was the biggest issue of all. Initially we didn't know how many aircraft would be available because of real-world requirements outweighing anything going to Normandy."

With all the planning, Captain Risdon said there hasn't been a lot of time for reflection on the importance of this event.

"You're so involved with the planning that sometimes you don't get to stop and think about what you're going to do," he said. "We're getting to jump into the exact same drop zone as other soldiers did 60 years ago when we started to push the Nazis out of Europe. This is huge -- it's unbelievable."

Combat airdrops continue to be a vital military strategy.

On March 26, 2003, Colonel Dellies participated in the first C-17 airdrop of troops into a combat zone in Northern Iraq.

"After doing that drop in Iraq, I can remember everything like it happened yesterday," Colonel Dellies said. "What I want to know is do these veterans have a vision that clear, 60 years later?"

The 60th anniversary of D-Day involves numerous commemorative events, including a wreath-laying ceremony at a C-47 crash site in Picauville, France. During this ceremony, the four veterans will lay a wreath at the site in honor of those who flew the C-47.

"This whole event really isn't for us," said Colonel Dellies. "It's for the veterans who fought here 60 years ago."