D-Day +60 Years

This unique account of D-Day history provides an unusual look into the US Army's preparation of a new type of World War II warfare, that of airborne operations. The book describes, using personal interviews with the veterans involved, how young men who had never even flown in an airplane before the war were trained to fly into combat, or to parachute into the dark of night.  The narrative personalizes the events of D-Day for a small group of men of the 77th Troop Carrier Squadron and G Company of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment.  Most, including the author's uncle, did not survive to see the dawn on D-Day morning.  The story then moves forward more than half a century, when research to find out what happened to his uncle led the author to meet some of the survivors of that night, resulting in what is believed to be the first reunion of a D-Day pilot with the men he dropped on that fateful morning, 56 years earlier.  Many children of the "next generation" are making efforts to find out what happened to their fathers and uncles in World War II.  This story is a classic example of the joy and heartbreak that can result from the success of such a search.

Jerry McLaughlin is a native of , and was raised on , where he graduated from and .  He began a career with the federal government by serving in the US Army from 1969 until 1971, and retired from the Central Intelligence Agency in 2003 as a senior training manager.  Mr. McLaughlin began research for this book in 1980, including several trips to . The most recent visit took place in 2001, when he and other family members and friends dedicated plaques commemorating the bravery of 40 men, including his uncle, who lost their lives on D-Day, June 6, 1944.  Mr. McLaughlin and his wife, Denise, currently live in , along with a Wheaten Terrier who goes by the name of Murphy.