To describe such a massive, world-changing event as D-Day, I am going to tell you the story of one man, one of America’s “Greatest Generation,” who was there on June 6, 1944.

ONE OF 156,000

Oscar “Pete” Peterson was born in Forks, Washington, graduated from Quillayute Valley HS, and was a student at WSU’s school of veterinary medicine when drafted into the Army. He trained in Texas, Wisconsin and Michigan as a medic, deployed to Ireland and from there to South Wales.

It was here that Pete joined the largest amphibious invasion in history, with more than 4,000 ships, 11,000 warplanes, and one young man amongst 156,000 Allied troops.

Despite extreme unfavorable weather conditions, Operation Overlord got underway with amphibious invasions beginning at 6:30 a.m. The British and Canadians overcame opposition to capture beaches code-named Gold, Juno and Sword, as did the Americans at Utah Beach. It was a terrible battle.

MID-DAY ON OMAHA

Pete’s unit arrived about noon. He said there was so much smoke in the air from the artillery and bombing, the beach was not visible from a mile away. And things were not going well on Omaha beach. The allied bombing missed the German defenses, and instead, took out some French cows. For a time, General Omar Bradley considered getting the troops back off the beach. Then the Navy came in close and began shelling the Germans.

Pete went ashore. His job was to get the wounded to an aid station for treatment. He gathered the wounded under a large tree that served as a landmark. He said, “As luck would have it, my first patient was the biggest guy in the unit.”

During his first 4 hours on Omaha beach, Pete helped treat 125 wounded comrades. That first day, progress inland was measured in yards as the German artillery observers called in accurate fire from a hill 30 miles away. It took two weeks of fighting to reach that hill.

Medics were not exempt as enemy targets, despite rules of engagement. Of the original 32 medics in Pete’s unit, two were killed, two were taken captive, and 25 were wounded in battle. Pete was one of only three who avoided death and injury.

More than 4,400 Allied troops died on D-Day, including over 2000 Americans. Stephen Ambrose says in his book, Citizen Soldiers, “these were high school and college students who invaded France as liberators, not conquerors.”

Most of these troops had one thing in common: they did not want to be there.

Pete grew accustomed to digging foxholes and trenches to avoid bullets and shrapnel as the 2nd Army Division engaged in four more major campaigns – Normandy Hill 192, the Battle for Brest, France, the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, and the liberation of Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, altogether 337 days and 1750 miles before the Germans surrendered.

And then Pete was chosen for the invasion of Japan.

THE RECOGNITION

On November 14, 2014, in the presence of U.S. Air Force 4-Star General Philip Breedlove, commander of the U.S. European Command and NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, and Pete’s grandson, Army Maj. Special Forces, Michael Schaad, his family and friends, French consul, Jack Cowan, presented Pete with the highest recognition of the French government, le Legion d’honneur, or Legion of Honor, created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.

Mr. Cowan told the audience, “His courage, faith and dedication, contributed to the defense and preservation of France’s independence, and to saving our common values of freedom, tolerance and democracy. I want to extend this tribute to his fellow soldiers during World War II and especially to all those who did not make it back to their country and families.”

Mr. Cowan then said to Pete, “You are forever France’s hero. We, the French people, know exactly what we owe to the American people, to the military, and to all of you personally. We will never forget your sacrifice to restore our freedom.”

NOW I LAY ME DOWN

Oscar “Pete” Peterson, with Wilma his bride of 72 years, their 3 children, 9 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren, died peacefully on October 2, 2018, at the age of 96. Mission finished. Well done.

Pete’s story is but one of 156,000, each deserving of our listening to their own D-Day stories. And so to all those heroes from our past, and to those keeping us and others free around the world today, we say—

“Thank you for your service.”

Pete, with his wife, Wilma, and their three young children, Gary, Brenda and Stanley, became part of my first church as a young pastor. He was my friend and he was a follower of Jesus. This was presented on Veteran’s Memorial Day in Bellevue, Washington, November 11, 2019.