80th Anniversary of WWII: D-Day

Today, we pay tribute to the 80th anniversary of WWII D-Day, the largest sea invasion by the U.S., the British Commonwealth, and their allies of its time landed on the beaches of Normandy, Italy, on June 6, 1944.

Recognizing the importance of preserving our history, the city embarked on a mission to interview seven veterans, each a living testament to the legacy of service. These brave men, who represented WWII, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War, shared their stories. Five of them had served in WWII.

Several volunteers and one family member of the community veterans conducted the interviews. Each interview was recorded to preserve the veterans’ legacy. The interviews were then made into a short video and premiered at a veteran’s luncheon at the Community Center in 2022.

Sadly, two of the WWII veterans have passed, but their legacy, as well as the stories of the other veterans, will live on.

All seven interviews were also submitted to the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, a collection of firsthand accounts of U.S. military service. The Veterans History Project has thousands of videos that provide first-hand accounts of our service personnel, giving us glimpses of what these young people went through.

As we remember today, it felt fitting to reintroduce the Auburn Hills Veteran’s Legacy videos to the community. 

We are grateful for their service.

Karen Adcock, Director of Recreation and Senior Services