Member-only story
DAY IN HISTORY-81 YEARS SINCE D-DAY
Remembering Omaha Beach on D-Day
Memories of a battlefield Medic Chief Joseph Sardo III on Omaha Beach
Today is the 81st anniversary of D-Day. In honor of rememberance of all the soldiers who fought on this day, I am sharing this first-hand account of what it was like on Omaha Beach.
I was honored to assist Master Chief Joseph Sardo III with writing his biography many years ago. As a funeral home owner before the war, he was selected to be a medic and administrator of the emergency hospital staffing on Omaha Beach. Chief Sardo has long since passed, but his story remains for all to witness the sacrifice of this historic and bloody day.
An excerpt from the biography of Master Chief Joseph Sardo III, as told to Aslynn Roe
Early in the morning on June 4, we sailed out of Plymouth, our flotillas put up front of the invasion fleet. There was a nervous energy on the ship. Some of the troops were writing letters to home. Others were playing cards. Most of them were praying and worrying about the upcoming conflict. Eventually, a calm came over the ship. We all thought June 5 would be our strike on Normandy.
The calm was replaced by a violent storm. The storm let up and we got word the invasion…
