Ste Mère Eglise church - John Steele paratrooper

Note the parachute on the church steeple.

Today, these events are commemorated by the Airborne Forces Museum in Place du 6 June in the centre of Ste-Mère-Église and in the village church where a parachute with an effigy of Private Steele in his Airborne uniform hangs from the steeple. Bullet holes are still visible in the church's stone walls. Inside, there are stained glass windows, with one depicting the Virgin Mary with paratroopers falling in the foreground.

Though injured and deafened by the church bells, Private Steele survived his ordeal. He continued to visit the town throughout his life and was an honorary citizen of Ste. Mère Église. The tavern, Auberge John Steele, stands adjacent to the square and maintains his memory through photos, letters and articles hung on its walls.

Steele died of cancer on May 16, 1969 in Fayetteville, NC, just three weeks short of the 25th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.Steele is portrayed by Red Buttons in the film The Longest Day. Darryl Zanuck's movie was made after the Cornelius Ryan book of the same name.