SCRANTON, Pa. -- History was made 75 years ago with the D-Day invasion. And while their numbers are dwindling, there are still some in our area who remember that day clearly.
Allied forces invaded Normandy, France on June 6, 1944 – D-Day – the largest seaborne invasion in history and the beginning of the end of World War II.
Thousands of miles away and 75 years later, what happened on the French coastline remains fresh in the minds of some. We spoke with people at the South Side Active Older Adult Community Center in Scranton.
Joe Nieroda recalls going to a movie theater and seeing newsreels of the landing.
"I saw all these guys going in the little boats and they were like sitting ducks. They were getting shot, they were getting, just getting killed by the dozens. I remember because my wife's uncle was a young captain in the Army and he was killed," Nieroda recalled.
What some say they remember most during that time was the fear.
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"You just had to be worrying all the time, worrying that your brothers would be coming home. Of course, I had a brother in the Marines at the time and it was scary," Geraldine Milliron said.
"We were glad it was happening, but boy, we lost a lot of guys, a lot of men we lost on that landing," Joe Cutonilli said "I hung around with a Rapcheski. He was killed, and another guy was killed."
People say what's so important is that we never forget D-Day, the bravery, the sacrifices and how it changed the world.
