Next week, on June 6, thousands will gather in the American Cemetery near the beaches of Normandy to commemorate the heroic action of solders who gave their lives in one of the world's most famous battles. For Park City Rotary Club member Larry Warren and his wife Carol Murphy, the day holds very special memories.
D DAY HOLDS SPECIAL MEMORY FOR ROTARY FAMILY
World will commemorate 75th anniversary of D Day on June 6
Next week, on June 6, thousands will gather in the American Cemetery near the beaches of Normandy to commemorate the heroic action of solders who gave their lives in one of the world's most famous battles. For Park City Rotary Club member Larry Warren and his wife Carol Murphy, the day holds very special memories.
Warren, a longtime Salt Lake City TV newsman, and his wife have made several trips to France, walking through the seemingly endless rows of clean, white crosses in the American Cemetery, wandering the streets of Sainte-Mère-Église and on the sand where on June 6, 1944 Allied troops came together on a beach landing that would result in the liberation of Europe from the Nazi stranglehold. The two provided the Park City Rotary Club with an insightful look into the story behind D Day in a club presentation leading up to the anniversary.
As they were guided through the white crosses, there was one grave in particular they were seeking - Private Kenneth Hatcher of Wisconsin. Pvt. Hatcher grew up on a farm in northeastern Wisconsin and was the first husband of Carol Murphy's mother. Murphy shared memories of Pvt. Hatcher she had gleaned from her mother and other family members, as well as reading from letters home from his short time on French soil, where he now rests.
Hatcher came to Normandy in one of the waves of reinforcements in the weeks after D Day, fortifying the Allied position on the ground and moving inland piece by piece through the French countryside. He met his fate in a fierce hand-to-hand battle with the Germans as his unit sought to cross an open field and were caught in heavy fire. The stories in his letters home speak to his youth and his pride.
On Thursday, June 6, pause for a moment to remember the more than 50,000 soldiers who died on the beaches, in the sky and amidst the hedgerows of the French countryside.
One of the impactful exhibits at the Normandy Visitor's Center in France features the story of D Day through the Letters of five servicemen who died, including Private Kenneth Hatcher.