Sam B. Dale’s plane was last seen flying low July 4, 1944 with German fighters in pursuit, according to the website Honorstates.org. Dale, from Columbia, Miss., was out of ammunition and crashed in a village near Normandy.

This year, the village honored the World War II hero on Veterans’ Day, and his two nieces – Margaret Chance and Barbara Broome – were on hand for ceremony, said Keltoum Rowland, Honorary Consul of France for Mississippi.

The village of Le Mesnil-Fuguet wanted to show their gratitude by honoring Dale with a ceremony and a plaque at city hall, Rowland said in a press release.

“We were able to see where his plane crashed and go to his final resting place at the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer. Sam B. Dale is a Mississippi hero who will never be forgotten by the French!” said Rowland,  who accompanied Broome and Chance to France.

Read the article “French village to honor Columbia war hero,” published by TheColumbian-Progress.com, to learn more about Dale and the village that honored him.


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