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Frank Walden

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He was rushing to treat wounded men on Omaha beach when he was wounded by shrapnel from a German 88mm gun. Navy Corpsman Frank Walden describes the effects of the blast and his evacuation from the battle. After recovering back home, he was still obligated to serve until he was twenty one, but there would be no more artillery targeted on him. (4:36)

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Frank Walden has been back to Omaha Beach twice. The first time, traveling on his own, he almost didn't get there. The second time was the 50th Anniversary and he secured seating right up front at the ceremony. He insisted that the tour bus stop at a German military cemetery. After all, those boys were the same age as ours. (5:09)

Franklin Mendez

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Growing up in Texas in a military extended family, Franklin Mendez found himself enlisting in the Marine Corps when he was 18. Training at Fort Pendleton was a good experience for him, where he learned all the intricacies of AMTRAC operation. (8:59)

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After being sent to Okinawa, Franklin Mendez found it strange that he and his battalion were never prepared for the war that would follow their time there. Once arriving to Vietnam, they had to adapt to the new circumstances, for better or for worse. (4:24)

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Early Christmas morning, Franklin Mendez and his battalion loaded up to head to sea from Okinawa. Seeing the size of the Navy fleet he was in, he started to realize that it wasn't just a training exercise and that they were heading somewhere with a purpose. (4:27)

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Moving inland, Franklin Mendez and his battalion are clearing perimeter as they go. Trying to pass the time, he spotted something peculiar going on in a village down the hill. While in a hostile fire zone, they were left without their rifles and had to depend on luck to get through the situation. (7:17)

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Spending more time inland, Franklin Mendez and his battalion were needed at a village nearby. Pulling up, they had the dicey task of picking up two KIAs amid hostile fire. (8:09)

Fred Bahlau

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Fred talks about a joke played on a fellow soldier during a brief break in the action. (Caution: Potentially inappropriate material for children) (1:52)

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Fred visits a London bar while on leave. He finds a date but is forced to make a quick exit the following morning. (Caution: Potentially inappropriate material for children) (2:17)

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Fred enters Carentan on June 12, 1944. He transfers a machine gun to a new position during heavy fighting, and witnesses the horrible fate of another soldier. (2:57)