There were a lot of brave men who fought in terrible action.
They get fewer daily. Most of the survivors are 90+.
At 19 my father was packing an M1 pursing Fascists across Germany & Belgium. He ended the war in CZ.
Two years ago on D Day, I was out for my daily walk. There was an elderly gentleman, age 91 then, who I would often see on my route and we’d chat. I knew he was career Army and spent some time in Alaska towards the end of his military career but that’s about all.
On that particular day, he said (out of the clear blue) “You know where I was 69 years ago today, kid?! (Kid! I was 62 at the time to his 91) “I was coming ashore on Omaha Beach.”
My mouth literally fell open. For five years it was “Hi Dan! How ‘bout them ##@! Mariners??” and we’d discuss baseball and some of his travels when he retired from the military. Nothing previous about landing in Europe.
I had a few more chats with him regarding D Day when I felt he’d talk about it and wasn’t likewise pissed off at the Seattle Mariners lack of hitting. I found that he was from “Hell’s Kitchen” (Manhattan) and signed up January 1942 with 30 guys from his neighborhood. They all pretty much stayed together into Europe (as was often done in those days). About half came home including Dan the Man.
We lost this hero on Oct 30, 2013.