Remembering D-Day

Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ships, were used to deliver vehicles directly onto beaches or at temporary ports like the one pictured here. Photo courtesy of US Coast Guard (and one below).

On June 6, 1944, one of the largest military operations in a single day marked the turning point of World War II in Europe. With the cooperation of eight Allied nations, more than 7,000 ships and more than 156,000 military personnel landed in northern France on the beaches of Normandy.

It was D-Day, and George Sarros was there. As a Motor Machinist 3rd Class on LST 515 — a landing craft that could carry tanks — he saw the action up-close.

“We heard the battle wagons [heavily armored ships] pounding the beach with guns and could see the Higgins Boats with the guys going over the side as they rushed the beach,” he remembers. A training exercise leading up to June 6 also resulted in casualties, as German torpedo boats attacked a group of LSTs along the English coast. George’s ship rescued survivors. “The Lord was with us, but we lost three of our ships. And I think about all of those sailors, just the ages that we were, who didn’t have a chance. I’m so grateful for [our] Captain [John] Doyle — he was a great captain.”

Every year on June 6, thousands of people from around the world gather on the beaches of Normandy to commemorate one of the most important events in modern history.

“The invasion of Normandy changed the course of the war, establishing a firm presence for the Allies in Europe, liberating France and pushing the Germans back,” says Wilbur D. Jones Jr., Capt. (Ret.) U.S. Navy, author and World War II historian in Wilmington. “Through months of secretive planning, coded messages and strategic decisions, the Allies surprised the Germans and began the 12-week Battle of Normandy that would — 11 months later — eventually result in the defeat of Germany.”

Wilmington, designated the nation’s first World War II Heritage City on Sept. 2, 2020, holds several ways to pay tribute to D-Day and World War II: The Battleship USS North Carolina, permanently moored in Wilmington on the Cape Fear River; the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Center; and the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science.

We heard the battle wagons pounding the beach with guns and could see the Higgins Boats with the guys going over the side as they rushed the beach.

“Although the Battleship North Carolina served in the Pacific Theater of the war, she stands to pay homage to the 11,081 North Carolinians who lost their lives in World War II,” says Dena Merlino Scott, marketing director of the Battleship North Carolina. “Many families visit the Battleship North Carolina to reconnect with those who died serving their country, not just around Memorial Day and D-Day, but throughout the year.”

Wilmington’s Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center downtown is one of only a handful of USO World War II buildings still standing across the U.S.

“When USO operations in Jacksonville, NC, were relocated to Camp Lejeune, the Jacksonville USO director donated the 1940’s World War II-era telephone booth to our USO building here,” Wilbur says. “Renovated to look just like it did in 1943, it’s the hub and keystone of the World War II history preservation activities in Southeastern NC with a World War II-lobby museum, a popular public venue and perfect blending of the arts and history.”

George Sarros

The Germans came much closer to American soil during World War II than people thought, attacking and sinking American supply ships and other vessels. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum documents many of the shipwrecks off the coast of North Carolina, including four German U-Boats that were sunk during World War II.

“One of the closest calls came when a German U-Boat fired three shots on the Ethyl-Dow Chemical Plant at Kure Beach,” Wilbur says. “Some people don’t believe that the Germans actually fired on the North Carolina coast, but there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that supports it, including displays in the North Carolina Military History Museum in Kure Beach.”

Now 89 years old, Wilbur was a 7-year-old living in Wilmington when war broke out. From an early age, history has fascinated him, and he’s made it his life work in retirement, authoring 20 history-related books, including eight about World War II.

“Every year the number of veterans who remain dwindles, and if we don’t keep these stories alive for future generations, people will forget,” he says. “Already D-Day has, for many people, become just another day on the calendar. Somehow, that can easily disregard all the sacrifices our veterans made to protect our freedom.”

When George Sarros, who celebrated his 99th birthday in April, looks back on those days 80 years ago, he is emotional.

“We were all just kids over there and we were so gung-ho and loved our country so much,” he says, his voice catching as he fights back tears. “We would have made any sacrifice necessary, including our own lives, for America.”

Then he pauses.

“That was a long time ago. That was history.”