Photo By Staff Sgt. John Stoner | Brig. Gen. Brad Carter, assistant adjutant general-Army for Oklahoma renders a salute...... read more read more
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FRANCE - In the hills of northeastern France, far from home but not from history, Soldiers of the Oklahoma National Guard stood shoulder to shoulder with French citizens to honor the legacy of the 45th Infantry Division, their predecessors who helped liberate the region during World War II.
The Oklahoma Guardsmen visited France Sept. 18-26, 2025 to commemorate the 45th Infantry Division’s campaign in World War II at memorial ceremonies in the villages they liberated.
The 45th Infantry Division, known as the "Thunderbirds," was made up largely of Oklahoma National Guard Soldiers. In World War II, they fought through Sicily, Italy, southern France, and into Germany, liberating towns and concentration camps along the way. In September 1944, they played a key role in freeing parts of northeastern France from Nazi occupation, an act that still resonates in those communities today.
Over the past seven years, Brig. Gen. Brad Carter, assistant adjutant general-Army for Oklahoma, developed a relationship with people and communities of the Alsace region in France, liberated by the 45th ID. He shared his gratitude to the people of Epinal at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial during a memorial ceremony honoring them.
“You honor one fallen American Soldier, you honor them all,” Carter said. “And you have honored all of us today in uniform. Thank you for that.”
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial was established in 1944, the same year of Epinal’s liberation from German forces, and contains the graves of 5,252 United States military service members. Epinal city officials, French citizens and military and the OKNG delegation members participated in the remembrance ceremony at Epinal American Cemetery.
Brig. Gen. Carter and Lt. Col. Neal Harvey, state training officer for Oklahoma, laid a wreath to honor their Thunderbird predecessors slain during the liberation.
“The ground we walked in France is the same ground where Soldiers of the 45th shed blood to liberate Europe,” Harvey said. “Remembering their actions not only honors their memory but reinforces our duty to uphold the same standards of excellence and selfless service that defined the Thunderbirds of the past.”
For Jocelyne Papelard-Brescia, director of U.S. Memory Grand Est France, the presence of the Oklahoma Guard carries personal and historical meaning. Her father-in-law served in the 157th Regiment of the 45th.
The connection between the Thunderbirds of the past and their successors today was illustrated in the interaction between Papelard-Brescia and the delegation’s youngest Soldier, 22-year-old Spc. Jack Hale, Mechanic of the Year for Oklahoma.
Papelard-Brescia teared up, wiping her eyes as Hale describes what it means to him to be there to commemorate the liberation of Epinal.
“I’m deeply honored to be here,” Hale said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see and to experience how the French honor and remember us.”
The Oklahoma National Guard delegation also attended a ceremony for a new memorial plaque in tribute to Capt. William McKay, a 45th Infantry Division pilot killed the day before the liberation of Epinal.
Through the initiative of their professor, Benoît Howson, students at the Institute University of Technology in Epinal adopted McKay’s grave, part of a European tradition of honoring fallen liberators. For these students, the past is not distant: it is present in the white crosses, in the stories, and in the American Soldiers who return to remember.
“Capt. McKay was a hero, there's no doubt,” Carter said. “But there's a lot of heroes buried in Epinal. Everyone that has a white cross, to us, is a hero. The memory that you have paid to Capt. McKay is not only a great honor for him but it's a great honor to all Thunderbirds and all U.S. service members that wear this uniform.”
McKay’s niece, Marilynne McKay, made the journey to Epinal for the plaque dedication and learned more about her uncle during his World War II service.
“I was astounded, it blew me away how much they remembered and how much they cared,” McKay said. “There are cemeteries where they adopt a grave to remember specifically. I'm proud they picked him. I think they did a good job.”
For Chief Warrant Officer 3 Trey Barbee, Warrant Officer of the Year for Oklahoma, visiting the people and the ceremonies was enlightening.
“It was truly an eye opening and memorable experience to visit small towns and villages throughout Northeast France and to witness the esteem and recognition held for the Thunderbird patch and the 45th Infantry Division,” Barbee said. “It was humbling and inspiring to see individuals within these communities work so diligently to preserve the past and to keep the sacrifice of so many lives present, while also ensuring the memories of these events are kept alive and passed down to future generations.”
Carter echoed Barbee’s sentiment while addressing the ceremony.
“It's refreshing to me to see the youth take on such a worthwhile endeavor because the one thing that it teaches us is that courage and unity will always prevail over oppression,” Carter said.
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2025 12:00 |
| Story ID: | 553134 |
| Location: | EPINAL, FR |
| Web Views: | 3 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Thunderbird Trail: Preserving Sacrifice, Strengthening Connection, by SSG John Stoner, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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