A ceremony maintained despite the absence of David A. Nelson

Ninety-four years old, David A. Nelson had to cancel his trip to Vierville-sur-Mer for health reasons. He was to receive the insignia of knight of the Legion of Honor from the hands of Admiral Brac de la Perrière during a ceremony organized on a Sunday by Mayor Jean-Marie Oxéant. According to the cut, he had landed at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944 at the age of twenty-seven.

The ceremony was held to honor the freedom fighters. In his speech, Jean-Marie Oxéant expressed the esteem of the population. The presentation of the decoration to David A. Nelson was to intervene a few weeks later, through the French consulate in Miami.

The Deep Respect association welcomed until June 11 two American veterans, Charles N. Shay and Steve Kellman, presented as having landed on June 6, 1944 at Omaha Beach, along with four British veterans: Eric L. J. Rackham, Richard Morrison, Robert Rome and Cyril G. Banks. The photograph shows them together for this tribute.

Archive image: https://vierville.cordelle.eu/PhDoc10/2011Juin6-CeremonieVV.jpg