I grasp my sense of reality as a wave crashes against the side of the boat and gives me a mist of cold water. They called it Operation Overlord, or more commonly known as D-Day, June 6, 1944, for some it was the worst day of their lives, for me, it was the longest. I can see the beach rising above the front of the boat, volleys of bullets falling from the sky like rain in hurricane. The sound of yells and gunfire echoed in the distance, I look at my fellow comrades and see fear inside of their eyes, they know they might die I tell myself. I ready myself when the boat driver says “15 seconds till landing!” the sounds get louder as we near the beach, “10 seconds!” my hands start jittering from excitement and fear both. Finally the boat driver screams “LANDING” and the front of the landing craft drops and in a second half my friends where falling, littered with bullets across their chest. I instantly drop down among their bodies as bullets fly over my head, it felt as though I was laying there for hours yet it had only been seconds.
I look up dazed gasping for air, grabbing my M-14 and diving into the dark abyss, with a hue of red from blood. I take a look around seeing bullets piercing the glassy surface above my head; I swim over a few feet and touch the wet sand with my feet bringing up my head first, then the rest of me. Soaked, I dash for cover behind a tank trap as duffs of sand scatter into the air from machine guns positioned on the hill. I rest my back against my cover and get a good look at the sea; bodies float face down in the red water and men still breathing sinking from the weight of their packs. I take a look at the bunkers and the hill ahead of us, so intimidating they were, tall with many heavy machine guns raining down hell a pond the allied troops. I lift up my head to see the skies filled with flak and paratrooper coming down behind enemy lines. I jump to reality as one man from my squad ducks for cover beside me and he yells out something, but the gunfire made it hard for me to hear. As I turn away he hits me on my shoulder and points up towards a group of men huddled against the barbwire against the hill, then he made a little motion that was enough for me to realize that is where he wanted to get too. He gave me a quick nod and dashes around the tank trap, I quickly fallow him and everything seemed to blur. I could see the hill lit up with muzzle flare from weapons being fired. As I sprinted I took a look at my friend, he was much faster than me and got a good head start so he quickly was already laying down at the edge of the barbwire when it happened. A blast from an artillery shell catches me by surprise and throws me on my back. For a while I could not hear anything, just ringing, I felt paralyzed as I look up at the sky. Something inside me tells me to get up once more, so I slowly gain my senses and gradually stand. As I take my delicate step a bullet catches my stomach, it felt as if a viper bit me and was as fast as one too. I drop to my knees, and then fall to my side, I just stare of to the side waiting for the end to come. Then the world goes black.
I wake up to the sound of my name being called over and over again. I open my eyes to see the roof of what seems to be a hospital; I see the nurse jump around in triumph and then call over the doctor. He shines a small flashlight into my eyes to check my consciousness and gives me thumbs up, and then I start feeling aches throughout my body. Also a slight ringing noise was running making me go crazy, but soon it was drowned out by chatter around the hospital. I go to sit up but was welcomed with a stabbing pain in my gut, almost enough to make me throw up. The doctor then tells me to just lie down and read the clipboard to the side of me. I pick up the clipboard that felt as if it were twenty pounds, I began to read and felt reality catch up. Two broken ribs, a torn muscle and critical damage to my spine; then I read “currently in a coma” but it was crossed out with pen. I ask the doctor the date and he quickly says the 8th, and I hysterically say of which month. He gives out a grin then sits at the edge of the bed and says “You are going to need to stay in the hospital for about a month at least for your spine to heal; we did put you through surgery yesterday to get a piece of metal lodged in your back” he then continued “You are one lucky man, most people die from an injury from that, and about that bullet, it was safely removed after the battle.” He stood up and walked over to the door in a sly manner, smiled, then said to me “Some good news, your family is here.” I look over through the door to see my daughter running up to me and then she gave me a hug. I overcame my pain so that I could hug her back smiling, not once thinking about the horrific battle I went through or the comrades that had fallen by my side. I am sure that this terrifying fight will not be forgotten, and generations to come will remember the brave soldiers that dedicated their lives to the country and died with courage in their hearts.