On June 6, 1944, under twinkling dawn skies, Allied forces dared the English Channel and stormed Normandy Beach — determined to rebuke German occupation of northern France in what would be the late, final chapters of World War II’s European theatre.
Among its many subplots: the arrival of Fort Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division and its undaunted paratrooper regiments, who from June 10-14, 1944, pushed into Carentan les Marais despite frightful odds and scattered battalions, recaptured the region, and returned it to its native peoples.
More than 80 years later, and under a growing “sister-city” partnership with Hopkinsville, Christian County and Fort Campbell, a small contingent of Carentan’s leadership is once again spending time in south western Kentucky and northwest Tennessee — hoping to continue building what’s becoming an economic and emotional bridge over the Atlantic Ocean.
Already this week, they have visited with, among others, Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight, Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam, South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council Executive Director Carter Hendricks, Christian County Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Director Taylor Hayes and Visit Hopkinsville’s Executive Director Amy Rogers.
Comfortably boarded up with host families, Wednesday proved to be a full slate in Nashville and Fort Campbell — where visits to The Chefs’ Warehouse, Whole Foods Market Green Hills and a Change of Military Command Ceremony filled the itinerary.
On Thursday, the group once again entrenched itself at Fort Campbell — an installation which, to this day, still invokes feelings of thankfulness, appreciation and comfort from Carentan descendants and their emissaries.
Sebastien Lesne, vice-mayor of Carentan, is on his third visit to this portion of the U.S. — a place he said he’s “proud to be in” because of its similarities to northern France with its “farms, horses and agriculture.”
Back home, he finds himself in charge of many annual “D-Day” ceremonies and events — which often bring supportive summons from the 101st and Christian County — and it’s a yearly conversation, he said, that will always and forever link the two communities.
Jean-Pierre Lhonneur, mayor of Carentan, is serving his third — and final — six-year term for his constituents. Since 2018, this is his fourth visit to Hopkinsville, each return more successful, more fruitful than the last.
As such, he is deeply invested in this “close link” with his home and Hopkinsville, where the open exchange of ideas, and the continuity, can make a difference.
Shannon Lane, Christian County Chamber of Commerce’s director of military affairs, said one of the more unique connections between the two communities — at least lately — hasn’t been dairy production, nor economic and foreign policy.
It has been this era of historic preservation, as Carentanian curators continue to find remnants of a horrific conflict — even as its city thrives eight decades after its Allied liberation.
Gilliam, meanwhile, said it struck him — when members of the contingent noted that “if not for World War II, this relationship between Hopkinsville and Carentan might not otherwise exist.”
Rogers was one of a few locals who made the trip to Normandy last June, in what was a jubilant 80th birthday and remembrance of “Decision Day” or “Designated Day.”
It was the kind of visit, she said, that brought perspective.
Friday will be driven by economic development, public school and legislative discussions, before concluding with a private reception at The Bruce Convention Center. Saturday rest-and-relaxation will involve a tasting and tour of the MB Roland Distillery, before Sunday’s departure.
Other delegation members include:
+ Arnaud Fossey, president of the Isigny-Sainte-Mere Dairy Plant
+ Denis van den Brink
+ Godefroy Beaussire, of the Normandy Victory Museum
+ Patrick Fissot, of the Normandy Victory Museum
+ Aurelie Mignot, of the D-Day Experience Museum
+ Jeanne Boisivon, of the D-Day Experience Museum
