NORWEGIAN TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- "It's hard to believe. I never thought I'd see this day."
It was 74 years ago, but for Russell Sadusky, D-Day feels like just yesterday.
"At first, we had no idea what we were getting into until they fired on us. Then we knew exactly what,” he said.
Sadusky is 93 years old now. His home near Pottsville is filled with memories of World War II, including his four Bronze Star Medals.
"We did the best we could. We're very proud of it."
Sadusky is the last surviving member of the Army's 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion, called the Mortarmen. A book was written about these heroes.
On D-Day, the Mortarmen invaded Utah Beach.
"I was driving a mud hen, and they had men walk in front of me to make sure it didn't explode, and we just hit the beach and it was just a lot of shooting,” said Sadusky.
"We fired high explosives and smoke. We used to support the infantry who went in to attack, and we put smoke screens down for them."
Sadusky was drafted when he was 18 years old. He saw 326 days of combat during World War II.
"I was very proud to be in it, scared, very scared."
As the last surviving member of his battalion, Sadusky says what's most important to him now is that everyone continues to remember.