On Sept. 23, Locust Valley will host the Remembrance Bowl for homecoming. The day will see a parade with veterans and dignitaries and a ceremony to commemorate the brave soldiers who fought to preserve freedom during the Second World War. The game will be the first of its kind played in the United States.
In the aftermath of the war, Locust Valley’s Operation Democracy helped send aid to the war-torn village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France. The name “Locust Valley” became legendary in the town, as the wife of the mayor known as the Mother of Normandy penned a poem dedicated to our home.
Sainte-Mere-Eglise was one of the first places in France retaken by Allied forces on D-Day. Later in 1944, the men of the 101st Airborne Division planned a celebratory football game, the Champagne Bowl, for Christmas Day, but before the game could be played the men were called to Belgium to finish the war in Europe at the Battle of the Bulge. Many of the men who planned the game never returned home.
In May of 2018, Patton Legacy Sports was formed by Helen Ayer Patton (General Patton’s granddaughter) and Michelle Strauss to honor General Patton’s athletic and Olympic legacy. The organization worked with the 101st and 82ndAirborne Divisions to finally hold a game in Sainte-Mere-Eglise and the Game That Never Happened was played as the Remembrance Bowl.
To learn more about the festivities, sponsorship opportunities and more, go to https://lvremembrancebowl.com.