Photo essay: Europe’s stunning stained-glass tributes to fallen American troops
By PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN STARS AND STRIPES
• May 21, 2026
A stained-glass window at the church of Notre-Dame de l’Assomption in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France, created by Paul Renaud and installed in 1969, depicts some of the first actions of D-Day. Photographed March 28, 2026, the Virgin Mary looks down on American paratroopers, who helped make Sainte-Mere-Eglise the first town liberated by Allied forces on June 6, 1944. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) In the coming days, ceremonies in the United States and abroad will mark Memorial Day, a day to honor American service members who died in war. Speeches will be delivered, bands will play the national anthem and parades will wind through towns and cities. A quieter form of remembrance exists in European churches. As Stars and Stripes reported Wednesday, more than 30 churches in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Luxembourg contain stained-glass windows honoring U.S. military efforts during the First and Second World Wars. Some are in well-known sites, like the church of Notre-Dame de l’Assomption in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France. Others are in small, sometimes closed churches where the memorials are only occasionally seen. About 53,000 U.S. troops were killed in combat in Europe during World War I, along with tens of thousands more who died of disease. Roughly 183,000 U.S. service members died in the European Theater during World War II. Many of the stained-glass windows were installed in the years after the wars, while others have been added more recently, reflecting different moments of remembrance. Seen together, they show how memory is shaped over time and raise a quieter question: how are these service members being remembered today?
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https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2026-05-21/stained-glass-photo-essay-21739721.htmlSource - Stars and Stripes
