My father was in the 29th Division, 116th Infantry Battalion, and was in the first wave of troops landing on Omaha Beach. He had served with the Virginia National Guard (Blue and Gray) before being conscripted into the regular Army. His commander was Gerhard. He was a Staff Sergeant, and led a light machine gun squad. He attributed one of the main factors in helping to save him was cutting off all the unnecessary weight of equipment he could as soon as he hit the water.