American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser walked in the boot prints of heroes on June 6. He joined American Legion Auxiliary National President Jan Pulvermacher-Ryan in ceremonies at Omaha Beach and Ste. Mere-Eglise, France, to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

They met with veterans who parachuted into the Normandy countryside in the early morning darkness of June 6, 1944, setting the stage for history's largest and most ambitious amphibious assault. The D-Day invasion ended Nazi Germany's four-year hold on the French Republic.

In the weeks that followed the bloody storming of Omaha and Utah beaches, more than 15,000 American troops were killed in battles to liberate Normandy; nearly a third of them are buried at the American National Cemetery near Omaha Beach. Thus began the march to Berlin and World War II victory in Europe.

Conatser and Pulvermacher-Ryan laid wreaths at the hallowed cemetery and later that day at the church square of Ste. Mere-Eglise. This small French town achieved fame when it was featured in the 1962 blockbuster film, "The Longest Day," with a star-studded cast that included Richard Burton, Sean Connery and John Wayne. During the Normandy invasion, paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division landed in the town; many were killed, but Pvt. John Steele (portrayed by Red Buttons in the film) survived by feigning death as he hung from his parachute, caught on the town's church steeple.

A mannequin of an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper hangs from the steeple of that 12th-century church during D-Day anniversaries. Thousands of visitors, including many veterans and world leaders, attend festivities that include battle re-enactments, vintage World War II vehicle demonstrations and other activities.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was among this year's U.S. dignitaries. Dale Dye, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and military adviser for film productions, was also there to pay homage. His credits include the films "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers." Dye is currently directing a film about the three-day battle at LaFiere Bridge, near Ste. Mere-Eglise. Hundreds of U.S. soldiers died in that fight, which has been characterized as one of the bloodiest small-arms conflicts in the history of U.S. warfare.

Conatser and Pulvermacher-Ryan participated in a memorial ceremony June 7, near LaFiere Bridge. Events for that day included a re-enactment of the famous nighttime paratroop drops that spelled the beginning of the end for Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich. Paratroopers from the active-duty 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Air Force, and the armed forces of several countries, including Germany, took part in the re-enactment.