Governor Pat McCrory, State Officials Remember North Carolina’s D-Day Heroes | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

June 6, 2014 marks the 70th anniversary of the invasion


    Raleigh, N.C.     North Carolinians played key roles in the historic D-Day invasion that took the fight directly to the Axis powers and hastened the fall of Adolf Hitler.

    On June 6, 1944, thousands of North Carolinians were among the Allied Troops that crossed the English Channel and even more trained for the war on Tar Heel soil.

    "One of the greatest honors of my life has been to meet the humble men and women of this state who defended the free world during World War II," said Governor Pat McCrory. "North Carolinians have always been at the forefront of this nation's defense and nowhere was that historic commitment more evident than during the invasion of Normandy."

    Airborne was the "tip of the spear" on D-Day. William C. Lee of Dunn is the acknowledged "Father of the Airborne" and was instrumental in making airborne units a pivotal element of the invasion. He also established airborne and glider operations at Camp Mackall (near Hoffman) and Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base.

    Lee did not jump into occupied France with his beloved paratroopers. A heart attack in February 1944 ended his active participation in the war and he was replaced by General Maxwell D. Taylor.

    However, to honor their founder, the paratroopers of the Airborne 101st Division screamed "Bill Lee" as they jumped into France during the early morning hours of June 6.

    While Lee could not jump with his troops, many of his fellow Tar Heels did. They included U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Earl H. Tyndall of Clemmons who was part of the 101st Airborne Division. Private Douglas Dickerson of Greensboro, who played football for North Carolina State College, jumped in France on D-Day with the 82nd Airborne Division.

    "The leadership and sacrifice shown by my fellow North Carolinians always make me proud," said Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz. "When it is in wartime and the ultimate sacrifice, I am humbled."

    Hospital Apprentice Second Class Richard W. Borden of Goldsboro was a Navy corpsman and part of the Normandy assault. After the war, he continued his medial training at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University and became a family doctor. He served more than 30 years as a physician in Goldsboro and Morehead City before his death in 2012.

    U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class Clarence Call of Davie County was coxswain in a lead landing craft off the USS Thomas Jefferson at Omaha Beach. He also participated in the invasions in southern France and Okinawa. After the war he returned to Davie County and was a charter member of Ellis Cross Roads Fire Department. He died in 2008.

    The liberation of France was the objective of the D-Day invasion and North Carolinians in the U. S. Army 4th Division were among the Allied forces that entered Paris on August 25. Hard fighting, including the Battle of Bulge, would follow that winter, but the Germans were on the run and destined for defeat.

    "D-Day unleashed a mighty sword that is the United States and its coalition partners' will and desire to conquer the tyrannical pursuits of Nazi Germany throughout Europe," said Cornell Wilson, Governor McCrory's military advisor and a retired United States Marines Corps Major General. "We must never forget the heavy price that had to be paid to ensure freedom for our democratic ideals and way of life."

    Ilario Pantano, Director of the State Division of Veterans Affairs who served with the U.S Marines in the Iraqi War, said every veteran stands on the shoulder of those who served during World War II.

    "The 70th Anniversary of D-Day is an important reminder that victory in battle is never assured," Pantano said. "At the time of the historic invasion, the future and fate of the free world very much hung in the balance. Every generation of veteran and American following these brave men and women stands on the shoulders of those who on D-Day, boldly went "into the breach" against the Nazi war machine."

    Contact: Crystal Feldman

    govpress@nc.gov

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