Arkansas – Over the weekend, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, accompanied by First Gentleman Bryan Sanders and their children, visited the Normandy American Cemetery to honor the memory of fallen Arkansans who served in World War II.
The family laid a wreath at The Wall of the Missing in tribute to Private Roger Dean Andrews, a member of the U.S. Army’s 37th Engineer Combat Battalion. Private Andrews was killed in action during the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
After being identified through DNA testing, his remains were returned to his hometown of Gravette, Arkansas. He was laid to rest with full military honors on June 9, 2025.
While at the cemetery, the Sanders family also visited the gravesites of other Arkansans who gave their lives in the war, including Lt. Col. Percy O. Forgy and Private Harold E. Sellers.
Governor Sanders’ visit to Normandy was part of a broader overseas trip. Following the commemorative events, she is scheduled to attend the Paris Air Show to meet with leading aerospace and defense companies. She will then travel to Switzerland to hold meetings with major corporations interested in investing in Arkansas.
“This trip is about honoring our past and securing our future,” Sanders said in a statement. “We owe everything to the heroes who gave their lives for our freedom, and we will continue working to create opportunities for Arkansans in the years to come.”