Private John Marvin Steele (November 29, 1912 – May 16, 1969) was an American paratrooper who landed on the pinnacle of the church tower in Sainte-Mère-Église on June 6, 1944 during Operation Overlord.

On the night before D-Day (June 6, 1944), American soldiers of the 82nd Airborne were parachuting into the area west of Sainte-Mère-Église in successive waves.

The church bell was rung to alert the town to the emergency, and townspeople turned out in large numbers to form a bucket brigade supervised by members of the German garrison.

The tavern, Auberge John Steele, stands adjacent to the square and maintains his legacy through photos, letters and articles hung on its walls.

One of its stained glass windows depicts the Virgin Mary with paratroopers falling in the foreground.