My brother-in-law was a Lt. in the first wave (I forget the division--it was prominent in The Longest Day). Just before the ramp came down, the Capt. told him to get to the back of the boat and make sure all the men got out. The Capt. was killed along with a great many of the men immediately by machine gun fire. My BIL survived the carnage, the Battle of the Bulge and capture by the Germans. Came out a Major and was highly decorated (when he came back from the war, the NY Times even had a picture of him getting off the plane).
On June 6, 1994 (50th Anniversary) I sent him a big flower arrangement in commemoration of his buddies that still lie there.