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Thousand of spectators came out to watch, wave and give their thanks, while
honoring those who sacrificed their lives on D-Day to rid the evil which was
spreading across Europe.
Thirteen 107th pilots were shot down and killed in action during World War II,
and three others who were shot down spent part of the war as a Prisoners of
War. “We honor a legacy of service and a tradition of valor,” said the 107th’s
commander.
"It has been nothing but an incredible welcome here from everyone we meet. It
has also been a very emotional experience, when we think about those who
served in our squadron and truly set the standard that we try to live up to
today," he added (names withheld for operational security reasons).
The commander of the 107th also visited the American cemetery in St. James, to
pay homage to one of their fallen WWII pilots, 2nd Lt. Robert S. Olson, who was
flying a reconnaissance mission over northern France when he was shot down
on July 24, 1944.
During World Wars I and II, the 107th operated with the motto Videre Est Scire,
”To See is to Know”. In 1954, the unit motto changed to Mors Hostibus, ”Death
to the Enemy”, when the squadron transitioned from a tactical reconnaissance
mission to a fighter mission.
They have flown the beloved A-10 close air support attack aircraft for about 10
years now, and have deployed repeatedly over the past dozen or more years in
support of various combat operations in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, our C-130, followed by 8 other similar aircraft, conducted flyovers all across northwestern France, including landmarks such as Pointe du Hoc, Le Mont-Saint-Michel, the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, all five of the D-Day beaches and many other sites across the region.