Contributed by The Best Defense Foundation
The Best Defense Foundation brought WWII veterans to Normandy, France, this year to commemorate the 79th anniversary of D-Day in partnership with Delta Air Lines and with the support of Michelin North America Inc.
The French Embassy to the U.S. and the U.S. Mission to France are committed to honoring WWII veterans and sharing their stories to make sure that we never forget that the French-American friendship is bound in blood and that our two countries owe each other their very existence as free nations.
WII veterans from across the U.S. left from Atlanta, Georgia, on May 31, 2023, and landed in Deauville, Normandy, France on June 1 on a special Delta charter flight, to participate in a week-long program that included the official D-Day Commemoration on June 6.
The WWII veterans were recognized and celebrated during many other commemorations and events in the cities of Deauville, Hérouville-Saint-Clair, Carentan, Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Bayeux, Ver-sur-Mer and Caen. During their stay, the group visited local museums, interacted with French students in a local school and connected with WWII British veterans.
Among the WWII American veterans joining this program were six D-Day veterans who participated in the invasion and subsequent battle of Normandy in June 1944.
As all veterans have their own stories worthy of highlighting, this program honored soldiers, sailors and airmen, as well as nurses and women who fulfilled varied support missions during WWII.
The support of the U.S. Embassy in France and the French Embassy here helped in sharing and amplifying their incredible stories of leadership, teamwork and sacrifice.
Before the trip, Donnie Edwards, Best Defense Foundation founder, said, “As we approach the 79th anniversary of D-Day, we are drawing near to a time when these commemorations will no longer have a WWII veteran present. It is with great pride that the Best Defense Foundation and our dedicated partners can provide this opportunity to up to 50 WWII veterans and provide them a once-in-a-lifetime experience to remember those they served with and preserve their story for all generations to come.”
TEC5 Richard V. Stewart, 459th Signal Construction Battalion, now of Cincinnati, age 102, was one of the D-Day veterans making the trip.
Stewart was born Nov. 29, 1920, raised in Marion, Indiana, graduating from high school in 1939. While attending embalming school in 1942, he received his draft notice and was inducted in the U.S. Army on Dec. 31, 1942.
He received specialist training in communications and became a lineman responsible for installing and repairing telephone lines. He landed on Omaha Beach in July 1944 and continued to serve in France, Belgium and Germany supplying area communications support for various Army Air Forces commands until the end of the war.
Due to segregation during that time, and the fact that Black soldiers were not allowed to fight alongside Whites, Stewart’s unit was called in after the fighting to run communication lines throughout the war-torn area.
He was discharged from the Army on Nov. 13, 1945.