By Omer Shamil, Opinions Editor
This article originally appeared on pages 23 to 24 of the Sept. 2026 edition of The Gettysburgian magazine
More than 3,000 miles separate Gettysburg from Sainte-Mère-Église, France, but the two towns have maintained a relationship for more than three decades.
Gettysburg and Sainte-Mère-Église became sister cities in 1993, a relationship that grew in part from the historical significance of both communities. Gettysburg is known for the Civil War battle fought here in July 1863, while Sainte-Mère-Église became one of the first French towns liberated during the D-Day invasion in June 1944.
In 2026, new interactions between local officials, Gettysburg College faculty and students have brought renewed attention to that relationship.
Gettysburg Mayor Alison Lintal said she has begun corresponding with Sainte-Mère-Église Mayor Yohann Letouze and the town’s new municipal leadership. Lintal currently serves as mayor of Gettysburg, while also teaching as an adjunct professor in Gettysburg College’s Public Policy Department. “Our communities share much in common including their rural settings and locations of historic significance,” Lintal said. “Our communities share ties to President Eisenhower, and our sister city relationship is a reminder that the values of freedom, sacrifice and courage transcend borders and generations.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower provides one historical connection between the communities: he commanded Allied forces during the Normandy invasion and later made Gettysburg his home. The relationship, however, has continued through exchanges between the people who live in the two towns. Gettysburg residents and local leaders traveled to Sainte-Mère-Église for the 60th anniversary of D-Day in 2004. Gettysburg Area High School JROTC cadets also traveled to Normandy for the 70th anniversary commemorations in 2014.
This summer, Gettysburg College Public Policy Chair Anne Douds helped continue that contact during a personally financed trip to France. Douds met with Letouze and members of the Sainte-Mère-Église municipal council and helped facilitate an exchange of gifts between the two communities. A Gettysburg Borough flag was delivered to Sainte-Mère-Église, while French officials sent Gettysburg a commemorative coin representing their town. Douds later presented the coin to Lintal.
Douds said her conversations with officials extended beyond the towns’ wartime histories too. She and Sainte-Mère-Église leaders discussed the challenges both communities face while preserving places of historic significance and simultaneously addressing the needs of current residents. Those conversations included historic building preservation, housing affordability, aging infrastructure and transportation.
“Both of our cities have profound historical significance as crossroads or pivotal junctures in two major wars,” Douds said. She added that both local governments are working to preserve those histories while responding to contemporary community needs.
Gettysburg College students have also interacted with Sainte-Mère-Église through a separate avenue.
Students participating in the Eisenhower Institute’s Strategy and Leadership in Transformational Times program traveled to Normandy during spring break from March 6 to 15. The program uses the Normandy campaign as a case study in strategy and leadership, with students traveling to sites connected to the history they study throughout the year. The College’s involvement should not be confused with the formal sister-city arrangement, which exists between the Borough of Gettysburg and Sainte-Mère-Église. The student trip and Douds’ visit instead represent different ways members of the College community have interacted with the French town.
(By Brandon Fey/The Gettysburgian)
Gettysburg College has previously played a larger role in another of Gettysburg’s sister-city relationships. Gettysburg and León, Nicaragua, became sister cities in 1990 following an initiative supported by members of both the College and local community. No comparable standing College program currently exists with Sainte-Mère-Église.
Lintal said she hopes the relationship can continue developing through cultural and educational exchanges, commemorative events and communication between the communities. “If students or faculty at Gettysburg College are interested in cultivating this sister city relationship through project ideas, exchange, or other visits and would like to collaborate with the Borough, please reach out to Mayor Lintal at alintal@gettysburgpa.gov.”
