While traditionally a soldier is tasked to kill, the combat medic is trained to do the exact opposite. When the Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy seventy-seven years ago, the medics among them saved hundreds of lives among the turmoil of battle. These men, unarmed except with first aid kits and whatever else they could find, ran against the rain of bombs and bullets to tend to the wounded of war. This is the story of two American medics, Robert E. Wright and Kenneth J. Moore, of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division otherwise known as the “Screaming Eagles.”

Combat medics Robert E. Wright (left) and Kenneth J. Moore (right) of the 101st Airborne Divison

The paratroopers of the 101st Airborne, of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers fame, were among the first American troops to land in Normandy during the D-Day invasion. Alongside the 82nd Airborne Division, they parachuted behind enemy lines before dawn on June 6, 1944. While most of these men were entering hostile territory with weapons at their side for protection, international law required that medics not be armed. Not only were the unarmed Moore and Wright even more vulnerable than their fellow soldiers but much of their medical equipment was lost during their jumps. Furthermore, like many of their fellow paratroopers, they were scattered across the French countryside, completely lost in an occupied and unfamiliar country.

Robert E. Wright found himself around 600 yards north of a tiny French commune known as Angoville-au-Plain, located less than 10 miles behind Utah Beach where further American troops were meant to land in a matter of hours. The population of Angoville-au-Plain was around 80 people at the time that Wright found himself in this unassuming countryside community. He immediately noticed a church tower and headed towards it, finding himself at the L'église Saint-Côme-et-Saint-Damien or the Church of Saint Côme and Saint Damien. Upon approaching the church, Wright realized that it would be a good spot to establish an aid post. He took out his 3x2 red cross flag and affixed it to the side of the medieval church which faced the street.

Around the same time, fellow medic Kenneth Moore was having a bit more turbulent morning. Anxious about going into enemy territory unarmed, one of his unit members had given Moore a grenade to use just in case he encountered a threat on the ground. Shortly after he landed however, Moore heard a rustling nearby him and hastily pulled the pin on the grenade. Before he could throw it however, he realized the source of the noise was not an enemy solider but instead, a cow. Suddenly aware that he had to dispose of this deadly device without attracting attention to himself (explosions are not exactly subtle), Moore wandered the countryside holding an active grenade. Finally, he was able to find a well on a family farm to throw the explosive into and ultimately disposed of it safely. Shortly after this ordeal, he spotted the church tower in Angoville-au-Plain and headed towards it.

The Church of Saint Côme and Saint Damien in Angoville-au-Plain where Wright and Moore established an aid station during the early hours of D-Day

When Moore arrived at the church, him and Wright immediately sprung into action. Their training as combat medics meant that no words had to be exchanged between the two men in order for them to agree on their next course of action. While the fighting raged around them, they worked tirelessly. They made use of the space by arranging the wounded men on the pews so their heads faced the aisle and their feet faced the walls. Wright used his training to quickly diagnose the conditions of the wounded and treat them according to the urgency of their injuries. He organized the men so that the most gravely wounded were towards the altar while those he believed were not going to survive were placed behind the altar. While he could not do much to help them with his limited resources, he administered these causalities doses of morphine in an attempt to make their last moments more comfortable.

Of the most importance to Moore and Wright was controlling the bleeding of wounds and preventing injured soldiers from going into shock. They were also fortunate enough to have a source of fresh water from the village water pump about 30 yards away – without this they would have been unable to prevent dehydration and clean wounds effectively. Moore and Wright used whatever they could find to take care of the wounded men. They never received additional supplies during their time in the church yet were still able to accomplish lifesaving work. For instance, they took turns using an old farm cart that they had found to retrieve the wounded from the surrounding area. Although both were protected under the Geneva Convention due to their status as medical personnel, they risked their lives every time they left the church to rescue the wounded.

The two men and the soldiers under their care were not exempt from close brushes with death. Although the church itself was not an intentional target, several mortars did hit the building. The worst of these incidents occurred when a mortar shells fell through the roof of the church, landing in the middle of the aisle. However, by some miracle it did not detonate. Wright immediately threw the shell out of a window. Had it exploded as intended, the stone walls of the church would have magnified the blast and almost certainly killed everyone inside.

A monument honoring the actions of Robert E. Wright and Kenneth J. Moore can be found in Angoville-au-Plain today.

By the end of June 6, about 80 men – among them both Americans and Germans – were under the care of Wright and Moore within the church. That evening an American officer entered the church and announced that German forces had broken through the American defenses. As the Americans were losing control of the village, Wright and Moore were given the option to retreat but both decided to stay. Almost immediately thereafter, a German officer arrived at the church. Wright and Moore spoke to the officer and watched nervously as he walked the aisle. The tension relaxed when the officer noticed that wounded German men were being treated alongside the Americans.

The German officer agreed to respect the aid station’s neutrality. Wright even later recalled several instances where German soldiers assisted in carrying the wounded on stretchers into the church. However, by the afternoon of June 7, American troops moved back into village after another day of fierce fighting. Soon thereafter, an American lieutenant wished to turn the church bell tower into an observation post but Wright refused to allow it. He argued that since the building was serving as an aid station and was thus, neutral ground. He told the officer that seeing as the Germans had honored this, the Americans should do so as well.

Moore and Wright maintained the aid station until the hamlet of Angoville-au-Plain was liberated, leaving the church on June 8, 1944. Both received a Silver Star Medal for their actions. As a result of their work in that church, they were responsible for saving more than 80 lives. Nor has their legacy has not been forgotten in the Angoville-au-Plain community. Not only are blood stains still preserved on the church pews for visitors to view today, but two stain glass windows commemorating the actions of the 101st Airborne Division can be found within the church today. The town is also home to a monument for Wright and Moore.

The two stained glass mirrors in the Church of Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian honor the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division that landed on D-Day (left) as well as the lifesaving work of medics Robert E. Wright and Kenneth J. Moore (right).

The locals of Angoville-au-Plain do not believe that Moore and Wright arriving in their town on the fateful morning of June 6, 1944 was merely chance. The church in which the two medics established their aid station, L'église Saint-Côme-et-Saint-Damien, takes its name from 4th century martyrs: Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian. Saints Cosmas and Damian were physicians and possibly brothers who hailed from ancient Syria, then a province of the Roman Empire. They are widely regarded to be the patron saints of doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists. In fact, the saints are were renowned for healing those who were ill or wounded as well as caring for all people regardless of their background, race, or faith. During their time in the church that bears the saints’ names in Angloville-au-Plain, Moore and Wright treated whoever needed them – no matter what side of the fighting they were on.

Remembering D-Day: The Eagles of Mercy

Related Content From Historic America