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Dozens of parachutists in World War II paratrooper replica uniforms and gear fill the skies near Sainte-Mere-Eglise on June 5, 2016, one day before the 72nd anniversary of the start of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.(Photo: Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
SAINTE-MERE-EGLISE, France<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— The first thing Ralph Ticcioni noticed was the faces of the paratroopers.
Sitting in two rows on the floor of the C-47 on Saturday afternoon, the men clad in World War II replica uniforms looked up at Ticcioni, an original paratrooper.
Seventy-two years ago Ticcioni had looked at the soldiers sitting across from him, who all wore on their shoulders the double-A, red-and-blue patch of the 82nd Airborne, as they flew across the English Channel on a C-47 on the short journey to Normandy. Their eyes betrayed their anxiety as flak exploded around them, the fear of the unknown etched on their faces.
Not so on Saturday in the same skies over Sainte-Mere-Eglise as members of the Round Canopy Parachute Team jumped out of two C-47s painted in the D-Day invasion markings to re-create, in a small way, the June 6, 1944, assault on Normandy.
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"Looking at the expressions on their faces, they're so calm," said Ticcioni, who was invited to fly with the team and watch them jump.
Sitting on the floor next to Ticcioni's seat, Peder Ek smiled and looked up at the D-Day veteran.
"I can't even tell you how excited I am to meet you," said Ek, a Swede. "It's an honor."
There was something Ek wanted to know:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"You must have been terrified?"
Ticcioni nodded. Yes, he was.
The 93-year-old New Berlin, Wis., man survived the war, though some of his buddies died in combat and others were wounded. He didn't return to France until last week, when the citizens of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the village near where Ticcioni landed as part of the D-Day invasion, arranged for him to come and participate in a week-long commemoration. He has been treated as a hero.
One day before the anniversary of the invasion, Ticcioni spent Sunday near La Fiere Bridge near Sainte-Mere-Eglise watching hundreds of parachutists land in farm fields in a massive recreation of the 82nd and 101st Airborne landings. The event drew thousands of visitors, who picnicked, listened to Bing Crosby and Andrews Sisters music piped through loudspeakers and lined the narrow road and bridge to watch both World War II re-enactors and military members of several nations, including America's 82nd Airborne Division.
Cedric Pitz, right, a Frenchman who is a Green Bay Packers fan, chats with Ralph Ticcioni of New Berlin, Wis., before parachuting from a C-47 to re-create the D-Day landing in Normandy, France.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
During D-Day, this area was a submerged swamp, and the La Fiere bridge was one of two main access points to Cherbourg, the only deep-water port in the area. The bridge was deemed critical, and American troops were sent to take control of the bridge and defend it at all costs. They did.
"Three hundred and sixty paratroopers saved our lives," said Maurice Renaud, the son of Sainte-Mere-Eglise's mayor during the D-Day invasion. "If the Germans had succeeded I wouldn't be here today. They would have burned down the town, which they did in other places. And my father being the mayor would have been the first to die."
Renaud's parents organized the first D-Day commemoration, in June 1945, just one month after the war in Europe ended, and invited Gen. James Gavin, the leader of the 82nd Airborne. Every year since then U.S. war veterans have come to this community, and grateful villagers welcome them with a love and affection that would surprise many Americans.
"They are our family," said Renaud, president of Friends of American Veterans, which paid for Ticcioni's visit.
On Sunday, Ticcioni received the French Legion of Honour medal in a solemn ceremony along with two other recipients —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Gen. Dwight Eisenhower's granddaughter Susan and four-star Gen. John Nicholson. Ticcioni didn't know he was receiving the prestigious honor until his name was called.
"I'm overwhelmed. Completely surprised. I had no idea," Ticcioni said.
Ticcioni is a humble man who speaks quietly about his World War II experiences. As he has toured Normandy, visiting museums, the American cemetery and the invasion beaches and taken part in ceremonies, the war stories have tumbled out.
About the buddy whose foot was blown off when he stepped on a land mine in an area the unit had walked through the previous night without incident. Of hearing the unmistakable whine of a Messerschmitt and diving into a culvert, his helmet flying off his head, seconds before bullets strafed the ground he had walked. Of giving a pretty Belgian barmaid the St. Christopher's Medal his mom gave him before he left for war.
“We do this to honor those veterans who jumped for our freedom, those who fought for the democracy we still enjoy today.”
Hubert Achten, president, Round Canopy Parachute Team
And recounting what it was like to stand up in a plane while loaded down with gear, checking the static line of the man in front of him while the man behind him checked his. Then seeing the light inside the C-47 change to green and stepping into the void as the static line yanked open his parachute.
Ticcioni watched the World War II re-enactors in the C-47 do the same thing, though without the flak, without carbines attached to their uniforms or grenades stuffed in pockets and with GoPro cameras strapped to their helmets.
Tom McMullan, a Pennsylvania man who served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne, came last year to perform with the Round Canopy Parachute Team and enjoyed it so much he returned this year. As Ticcioni watched the team stretch before the jump, McMullan greeted the veteran.
"It means a lot to me to honor them. They were kids when they were here. When we can meet them and hug them, it's special. I want them to know they're not forgotten," said an emotional McMullan.
When a member of Round Canopy Parachute Team read a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article in February about Ticcioni's upcoming visit to Normandy, he extended the invitation to ride in the plane during one of the jumps. The Round Canopy Parachute Team numbers 450 members from 24 nations, and about 90% are military veterans, team president Hubert Achten said.
"We do this to honor those veterans who jumped for our freedom, those who fought for the democracy we still enjoy today," Achten said.
"Boy, is this something," Ticcioni said, after the parachutists jumped out at 1,200 feet and the C-47 turned back to an airport near Cherbourg. "It brings back memories. Will you do me a favor? Pinch me."
After taxiing to a stop at the airport, Ticcioni slowly climbed down the ladder and walked underneath the wing as the next group of World War II re-enactors lined up to board the plane. As Ticcioni walked by, they saluted.
Follow Meg Jones<span style="color: Red;">*</span>on Twitter:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>@MegJonesJS
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