The church steeple in Sainte-Côme-du-Mont, France, stands as a historic landmark tied to the village’s World War II history. During the German occupation, German forces used the high church steeple as a strategic observation post to monitor the surrounding marshes and roads.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert Judels, a paratrooper assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, landed near Sainte-Côme-du-Mont on the night of June 5, 1944, during the D-Day invasion. After landing, Judels was hidden from German patrols by local residents Mr. and Mrs. Lemarchand in their farmhouse. Judels later served as an English-French translator for American troops.
Lt. Col. Drew Schaub gave remarks during a ceremony June 7, 2026, honoring Judels, other 101st...
It begins with flashing blue lights in the rearview mirror. A lane drift. A rolling stop. A burned-out taillight. For Soldiers stationed near Fort Stewart, the drive home from Savannah’s River Street can end in an instant — and what follows that traffic stop can unravel years of military service, strain families to their breaking point, and leave a Soldier questioning everything they worked to build.
