Behind the Higgins boat.

A 7 ½” tall bronze Lone Sailor statue with a sea bag sculpture on his side, staged on a thick and large circular base. The statue serves as a reminder of the historic day the United States and her allies arrived from the sea to free the world from tyranny and repression, forging a lasting relationship with the people of St. Marie Du Mont, the first city to be liberated in France during WWII. It was dedicated on June 6, 2021. Around the monument, three plaques can be found relating to the statue.

The first Lone Sailor statue, the work of sculptor Stanley Bleifeld, was dedicated in October 1987. The Navy Memorial's Statue City Program began in 1997 with the placement of a Lone Sailor statue at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, IL. The Lone Sailor in Utah Beach is the seventeenth.

In the predawn hours of June 6, 1944, the “frogmen” of the Naval Combat Demolition Units were the first Americans to set foot onto the shores of France as part of Operation NEPTUNE. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history and part of an overarching plan code-named Operation OVERLORD - the beginning of the end of WWII in Europe. These “frogmen”, the ancestors of today’s SEALs, came onto the beaches to dismantle and demolish mines and anti-ship barriers in preparation for the amphibious landing of the 1st Army Division.

Source of information: www.military.com, www.navymemorial.org, Paris Post 1

Source of photos: Paris Post 1

Plaque 1:

THE LONE SAILOR

The Lone Sailor represents the men and women who have served, are serving, or will serve in the United States Navy. He is called the Lone Sailor, yet he is hardly ever alone. He is about 25 years old, a senior second class petty officer who is fast becoming a seagoing veteran.

He has done it all - fired weapons in war, provided humanitarian assistance in far-away lands, been attacked by the enemy, and defended freedom. He has made port calls in great cities and tiny villages where he was a tourist, ambassador, adventurer, friend, missionary to those less fortunate, and representative of our way of life. Shipmates remember him with pride and look up to him with respect.

LE MARIN SOLITAIRE 

Le Marin Solitaire représente les hommes et les femmes qui ont servi, servent ou serviront dans la Marine des Etats Unis. Il est dénommé le Marine Solitaire bien qu'il soit rarement seul. Agé d' environ 25 ans, c'est un second-maître qui deviendra rapidement un vétéran de la mer.

Il a tout fait : le coup de feu au combat, fourni de l'aide humanitaire dans des contrées lointaines, été attaqué par l' ennemi, et défendu notre liberté. Il a été en escale dans les grandes villes et les petits villages où il a été touriste, ambassadeur, aventurier et ami des moins fortunés : il représente ainsi notre mode de vie. Son équipage est fier de lui et l'admire.

Plaque 2:

The Lone Sailor - Normandy

With Great Appreciation

William B. Kent and Family, in honor of my father:

E. L. 'Buck' Kent, US Amry Air Corps

Dr. Jack and Dr. Jennifer London, in honor of:

Capt. John T. Burkhart, USA

Cox'n John O. Clark, USN

Marty and Nicole Kropelnicki, in honor of:

MSG Steven Kropelnicki, US Army Airforce

Seaman Matt Kropelnicki, US Navy

Cpl Mike Kropelnicki, US Army

MSG Marvin Kropelnicki, US Army

LCpl Alexander Kropelnicki, US Marine Corps

SGT Edward C. Trader Jr, US Army

John H. Dalton

70th Secretary of the Navy

Gordon R. England

72nd & 73rd Secretary of the Navy

Sean C. O'Keefe

69th Secretary of the Navy

Donald C. Winter

74th Secretary of the Navy

Mary A. Flynn Smith

VADM Carol Pottenger, UNITED STATES NAVY (Ret.) and Mr. Michael Condon

LT Victor S. Trione, USNR

CDR W. Michael Newell, SC, USN (Ret.)

Northrop Grumman

Peraton

Serco

UDT SEAL Association

FedEx

La Commune de Sainte Marie du Mont Reconnaissante

LtCol Valérie E. Prehoda, USMC (Ret.)

Admiral John C. Harvey, USN (Ret.)

Chairman of the Board

US Navy Memorial Foundation

Plaque 3:

The Lone Sailor in Normandy

On D-Day, June 6, 1944, US Navy and Allied Sailors, operating from ships at sea, played an integral role in the success of the battle of Normandy, enabling Allied forces to enter and move across Europe to rid the world of Axis tyranny.

During the first hours of D-Day, 175 Naval Combat Demolition Unit "Frogmen" landed in Utah and Omaha beaches to clear obstacles in advances of the amphibious landing. Of the 175 Sailors, 91 were killed or wounded, a casualty rate of 52%, one of the highest endured by any unit of the US Armed Forces during D-Day.

This Lone Sailor Statue serves as a tribute to those "Frogmen," the forefathers of today's US Navy SEALs, and all Allied Sailors who made the Battle of Normandy immortal. Their brave actions forged an international relationship with the citizens of France and Sainte Marie du Mont, one of the first towns liberated in Europe during World War II.

Le Marin Solitaire en Normandie

Le 6 juin 1944, les marins américains et ceux des marines alliés, agissant à partir de navires au large, ont joué un rôle déterminant au succés de la bataille de Normandie, en permettant aux forces alliés de prendre pied et de traverser l'Europe pour débarrasser le monde de la tyrannie de l'Axe.

Lors des premiéres heures du Jour J, 175 membres des équipes de démolition navale, les "hommes grenouilles", ont débarque sur les plages d'Utah et d'Omaha pour faciliter l'arrivée des navires amphibes, en détruisant les obstacles ennemis. Des 175 marins, 91 furent tués ou blessés – un taux de perte de 52% - l'un des plus élevés enregistrés par les unités américains le Jour J.

La statue du Marin Solitaire est un hommage a ces "hommes grenouilles", précurseurs des US Navy Seals, et à tous les marins américains et alliés qui ont rendu la mémoire du Jour-J immortelle. Leurs actions courageuses ont forgé une relation internationale avec les citoyens de France et de Sainte Marie du Mont, une des toutes premieres communes libérées en Europe dans la Deuxiéme Guerre.