WIESBADEN, Germany —
A ceremony honoring the heroism of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. William Owens will be held June 5 as a central part of the 81st anniversary commemoration of D-Day, taking place June 3-8 in Normandy, France.
Owens, a paratrooper with the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, served during some of the most critical operations of the European Theater, from the invasions of Sicily and Salerno to Operation Market Garden, and, of course, the D-Day landings.
On June 5 at 3:30 p.m. at Sainte Mère Eglise in Normandy, Owens will be posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. Army’s second-highest military decoration, which will be presented to Owens’ family by U.S. Army Europe and Africa Commanding General Gen. Christopher Donahue. The 82nd Airborne Division Commanding General Maj. Gen. Pat Work will speak at the ceremony as well.
Congress approved the upgrade from a previously awarded Silver Star in recognition of Owens’ extraordinary gallantry in securing and holding the strategically vital La Fière causeway over the Merderet River. Control of this causeway was essential for American forces landing at Utah Beach to push inland, making the battle for La Fière one of the most pivotal engagements of D-Day.
For more information on Staff Sgt. Owens, please visit the website for the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment at http://www.505rct.org/album2/owens_w.asp.
More information on D-Day can be found on the USAREUR-AF D-Day website at https://www.europeafrica.army.mil/DDay/.
Media inquiries and RSVPs to the ceremony should be sent to D-DayMedia@army.mil.