SONESTOWN, Pa. — June 6th, 1944 will forever be known as D-Day. 78 years ago, more than 150,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to fight Nazi Germany during World War II.
"The invasion of France was very important to the Americans, British, and all the allies to get a foothold there in France. It was a tough day because we lost a lot of people that day," said Jack Craft, president of the Endless Mountains War Memorial Museum.
The D-Day display at the museum is one way to honor the lives that were lost.
"It was very deadly. The Germans had everything set up they were very good soldiers. They knew how to set up the machine guns, the artillery, and everything. It was a tough job to do what they did," added Craft.
The museum does not charge admission and when people come by they can find artifacts from both theaters in WWII, and that includes items from D-Day.
The display includes uniforms, weapons, letters, newspapers, and much more. Craft has collected these items for the past 40 years.
"Airborne stuff. The airborne had a lot to do with D-Day, the night drop before and there are big stories about that. We also have stuff from the infantry guys that hit the beaches with the landing crafts," said Craft.
Operators hope more people will continue to visit so they can share more details about the military and historical events like D-Day.
"I just like to show it off and to share it with people and if they can pick up some history when they come through the museum then that satisfies me," he added.
The museum in Sonestown will soon expand to include more war memorabilia.
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