MACUNGIE, Pa. — Nathan Kline wrapped a white monogrammed scarf around his neck and placed a bulletproof prayer book in his left shirt pocket. He’d followed the same routine for all of his previous bombing runs over Europe, but the teenager from Allentown, Pa., knew there was nothing routine about this mission.
Nothing routine at all about this day, June 6, 1944 — D-Day.
More excited than nervous, Kline squeezed his small frame into the cramped Plexiglas nose of a B-26 Marauder and took off from an English base, joining thousands of his airborne mates over the English Channel. His destination: Normandy, France, where 50,000 German troops awaited the Allied invasion.
Now 84, Kline still has the scarf, the prayer book, and many other artifacts and honors from his role in the epic battle that turned the tide of World War II. In a few days, he’ll add one more award to his already crowded wall: the French Legion of Honor medal.
Fifty Americans, 15 Canadians and 10 British veterans of World War II will receive France’s highest award during a ceremony today in Paris, then head to Normandy on Saturday to mark the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings. President Barack Obama will attend Saturday’s ceremony with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, along with Britain’s Prince Charles.
The French say this year’s ceremony is intended primarily as a U.S.-French event, rather than a full-blown remembrance of the Allied effort like those held on the 50th and 60th anniversaries.
About 160,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of occupied France on D-Day, opening up a second European front and setting the stage for Nazi Germany’s defeat. More than 9,000 Allied troops were killed or wounded.
by the associated press
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