On Thursday, 112 members of the St. Augustine High School Marching 100 marched into the town square of Sainte-Mère-Église, the first French village liberated by the Allies after D-Day.
As spectators looked on, the band performed the Calvin Harris song “Outside” and marched past Sainte-Mère-Église’s most famous landmark: the 12th century church where, the night before D-Day, American paratrooper John Steele’s parachute snagged on the belltower, leaving him suspended there to be captured by the Germans. A replica of Steele and his parachute still hang from the church.
The band is in France to perform at events marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
“This is who we are,” said Marching 100 director Ray Johnson Jr. to the band as it started off. “This is representing our country. This is why we’re here.”
Here's a clip of the band performing as they march through the town.
The @StAugnola Marching 100 marches into the town square of Saint Mere Eglise in the Normandy region of France beneath the famed replica of the D-Day paratrooper who got caught on the church steeple pic.twitter.com/81KRABIUyL
— Keith Spera (@KeithSpera) June 7, 2024
