129th Division News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Operation overlord and then here in normandy, france in the weeks that followed democrat these wonderful edges of these young men and -- among them he told me about his memories from 80 years ago about what he thinks of the nation that he and others fought and so many died for and how he thinks it's doing today. >> i'm steve mellen cough and i'm -- i was with the 29th division, one of the ed divisions and i was on omaha beach -- omaha beach. i'm originally from rhode island and then my work after took me to baltimore area. >> martha: what you remember about that day, you know, when you talk ab...

Training because -- but because the new we were going to this battle, we got 17 weeks training. but then after the 17th week, we came over to england and i trained five additional months in st. ives before we went and. so this whole group of men, we knew after a little bit that we were going over here. >> martha: once you made up the beach and i'm sure you lost a lot of people that you knew probably on the ship, right. >> yes. >> martha: what was that like for you? >> all say this, on first day the 29th division in the first division had caused --, casualties, 5720. outside that to begin. 5720...

Richard E. Scruggs, World War I soldier - Kansas Memory

Cleo D. Castor, World War I soldier - Kansas Memory

Colonel george taylor whose 16th infantry regiment would join in the first wave was asked what would happen if the germans stopped right then and there, cold on the beach, just stopped them, what would happen? this great american replied, why, the 18th infantry is coming in right behind us. the 26th infantry will come on, too. then there is the second infantry division already afloat and the 9th division and the 2nd armored and the 3rd armored and all the rest. maybe the 16th won't make it, but someone will. one of those men in taylor's 16th regiment was army medic ray