AMFREVILLE, France –
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps, delivered remarks Saturday at the Eisenhower Monument near the Father Maternowski Memorial in Amfreville, France, June 7, 2025, honoring the legacy of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Allied forces whose courage shaped the course of World War II.
“It is important to remember why we are here in Normandy today, and how history brought us to this location,” said Costanza. “It was here at Tournieres, on August 20, 1944, that Gen. Eisenhower and Gen. Charles De Gaulle decided on the strategy for the liberation of Paris,” added Costanza.
“Everyone of us here today that enjoys freedom, our families and our way of life, have an inherent responsibility to live our lives in a way that honors those Soldiers who fought and died here," Costanza said.
In his speech, Costanza described Eisenhower not only as a military leader, but as a strategic leader that despite the stress that comes with planning an invasion he still took time for Soldiers.
“Shortly after General Eisenhower made the difficult decision to launch the invasion of Normandy, he drafted a note accepting full responsibility if the landings failed, Costanza remarked. “After he wrote that note and put it in his pocket, he went to visit the US Soldiers from the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions as they prepared to load planes for their airborne operations into France. A reporter that was with him looked over at Eisenhower - he was watching the planes take off with tears coming down his face.”
The monument near Amfreville stands just miles from the beaches where Allied troops landed on June 6, 1944. It also neighbors the site where Father Joseph Maternowski, a U.S. Army chaplain, was killed while tending to the wounded. Their stories, Costanza emphasized, are reminders of the selfless service that defines the U.S. military.
“Everyone of us here today that enjoys freedom, our families and our way of life, have an inherent responsibility to live our lives in a way that honors those Soldiers who fought and died here at Normandy so that "the cause for which they died shall live," Costanza said. “Not just today on the 81st Anniversary of D-day, but everyday.”