BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The 79th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy was remembered by some of the remaining few who were there on Tues, June 6.
Thousands of veterans, family members, and friends gathered on the sand at Omaha Beach And Utah Beach, the site of the greatest amphibious assault in recorded history. In all, nearly 10,000 Allied soldiers died, were wounded, or reported missing that day.
There are no longer any known survivors of D-Day in Kern County. One of the last survivors, E.T. Roberts, passed away in 2020. He talked to 23ABC about that day several times over the years.
"We was in pretty steep fighting," said Roberts in a past interview, tearing up over the battle. "I know, it's rough. It's a hard one when you see that many die. To serve and fight, that's what I did.
Roberts was part of the second wave that came ashore. He was injured a few days later, during the battle of Saint Lo. He spent about a month in the hospital then returned to the front lines, fighting with the 116th infantry at the Battle of the Bulge and into Germany.
