"Ste. Mere Églisè" autographed sign

MAIN EDITION
300 limited-edition signs, numbered on the reverse side, signed in black fade-resistant marker by D-Day paratroopers Les Cruise (H/505th PIR) and Dan McBride (F/502nd PIR), who both fought for Ste. Mère Église on D-Day. Includes a seal of authenticity on the reverse side of the sign. Extra items shown in display images not included. 

OTHER EDITIONS
A Signer Proof edition of 10 signs exists for project helpers. Not for sale. An un-signed Open Edition may be released.  

 

LESLIE CRUISE (1924 - 2022) 
Raised in an orphanage in Philadelphia, Les wanted to do his part in WWII so he volunteered for the paratroopers in Nov. 1943. Following training, he was shipped to England where he became a rookie in H-Co. of the 505th PIR, 82nd Airborne, which had plenty of battle-hardened veterans who had jumped into Sicily & Italy. On D-Day, 20-year-old Les parachuted into the darkness over Normandy and landed not far from Ste. Mere Eglise, where he would soon fight for several days until the town was liberated. After surviving some 35 days of combat in Normandy, Les' next combat jump was in September, into Holland, for Operation Market Garden where he helped take the bridges at Nijmegen. Following Holland, Les fought in the Battle of the Bulge until seriously wounded when attacking German positions near Fosse, Belgium. His fighting days over, Les was transferred to hospitals in France, England, and eventually the US where he was honorably discharged.



DAN MCBRIDE (1924 - 2022) 
Dan volunteered for the paratroopers after seeing a newsreel about them in his hometown of Conneaut, Ohio. Despite being scared of heights, he succeeded in the role and found himself in F-Company, 502nd PIR, 101st Airborne. On D-Day, Dan jumped while his C-47 was in a bank which resulted in him going out the door headfirst, slamming into the earth upside down, and being knocked out. Once conscious, he gathered himself and began a trek through the countryside where he silenced a German MG position with a grenade. Soon after, he linked up with an 82nd Airborne trooper, and they knocked out a German staff car, stole it, and made their way to Ste. Mere Eglise. Following that fighting, Dan would rejoin his outfit only to be shot through the arm during a night patrol. After recovering from that wound, he jumped into Holland for Operation Market Garden and fought until blown off a dyke by mortar shells, crushing his ankle. Once again, recovering from his wounds, Dan rejoined his company in time for the defense of Bastogne, where he received his third war wound - this time shrapnel in the knees from a German tank shell. Dan would go back on the line and remain with F-Company through VE-Day.