S/Sgt John J Moglia, Anti-Tank Platoon, 2nd Bn, 16th Infantry, 1st Division.
Moglia was 28 when he landed on Easy Red beach in a DUKW during the first wave. He recalls the carnage on the beach, mortors landing all around and the sound of machine gun fire. There were men crying out to god to get them out of this hellish situation they had been thrust into.
He personally dragged a soldier across the beach to safety only to find that half of his head had been blown away and he was beyond help.
Moglia lead his men across the beach and they fort their way up the buffs to relative safety.
He was awarded a Bronze star for his actions on the 6th.
Normandy was Moglia’s 3rd invasion of WW2, he was a hardened veteran by the time he landed in France.