White County resident and WWII veteran Andy Negra joined dozens of veterans on the beaches of Normandy to celebrate the 79th D-Day celebration. (Photo courtesy Best Defense Foundation)
(Cleveland)- Well-known White County World War II veteran Andy Negra was one of around a dozen veterans who Tuesday visited Normandy beach to mark the 79th anniversary of the D-Day invasion that would lead to the end of the war.
Negra, who remembered the last time he stood on Utah Beach on July 18, 1944, was able to walk that same area as part of a special observation of the historic day. He told Associated Press in an interview as he walked the beach, “So many were lost. And here I am.”
More than 4,000 Allied soldiers died on D-Day.
Negra, who just turned 99 told AP “ I am the only one in the 128th Armored Field Artillery that’s still alive.”
The walk along Utah Beach was one of the many events Negra and more than 40 American veterans took part in celebrating the historic event.
We honor Andy and his service to our country. How proud we should be that he lives in White County.
Was there when Mr. Negra was interviewed on June 6 at the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. Amazing man, sharp as a tack and an articulate speaker. He commented that he admired the French people for how well they educate their children about what happened on D-Day and wished that Americans would do it also.