Was there one specific turning point in World War II?  It was an immense conflict and there were many decisive battles.  Midway in the Pacific Theater of Operations and Stalingrad on the Eastern European front.

21-year-old Stanley Friday

            But there was one decisive battle that took place beginning on June 6, 1944, lasted almost three months, and was fought by nearly 160,000 American, British, and Canadian troops.  The battle opened a door to France and the defeat of the German occupying forces there.  It was code-named Operation Overload.

            It was originally believed that about 2,500 soldiers died on Normandy Beach but further research by the U.S. National D-day Memorial Foundation has found that figure to be closer to 4,500.

            This year marks the 75^th anniversary of the allied invasion of France's northern coastal region known as Normandy.  Throughout this summer, France will commemorate the anniversary with military parades, a military camp re-enactment, fireworks, airdrops and much more.

            There are also veterans who will be returning to Normandy; those who fought there and saw the horror of battle.  France will welcome her foreign heroes.  As the years go by there are so few left to experience the honor.

WWII veteran Stanley Friday displays the more than 30 medals he received for  his service.

            One veteran making the trip will be Marlborough Township resident Stanley Friday.  Stanley, 96, is a spry, active individual who enjoys working inside and outside of his home.  His well-groomed property and piles of chopped-firewood is a message to visitors that he cares.  He proudly flies Old Glory outside his home.

            Friday will be making the trip to Normandy in early June and should be receiving the French Legion of Honor during his stay there.  It will not be like his first visit.

            Stanley landed on Utah beach on August 5, 1944.  For the next 165 days, the 21-year-old traveled the Blue Ridge Path through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and Austria.  It was a journey that took the Technical 5 (T5) Corporal through prolonged periods of danger.  He was in battle most of the time.

            As a scout with the 80^th Infantry Division, 317^th Regiment, 2^nd Battalion, Stanley spent his time well out in front of the main body of troops.  His dedication to his duty is well represented in the more than 30 medals he earned during his service.

            Among them is a Bronze Medal with four Bronze Stars.  In the group is also a Purple Heart. 

            Being out in front puts you close to the enemy.  Being in the line of fire takes on a special meaning when your job is to take extraordinary risks to locate them.  He remembers well the night he earned his Purple Heart.  German artillery shelled his group's location for hours.  Stanley and the others in his group hunkered down as best they could from the explosions going off all around them.  He remembers burying his face in the ground and covering his head with his hands and arms.  It seemed like the shelling went on throughout the night.

            At dawn, he was ready to continue his work as a scout except for one thing. Both of his arms were ripped-up from the shrapnel that came from the night's bombardment.  Stanley didn't realize it at first, because he never felt the pain when it happened.

            Being out in front of the main body of troops, the young T5 Corporal and his group of soldiers had to take care of first-aid duties on their own and keep moving on.

            His march through Europe took him through Germany and past two Nazi Concentration Camps.  Friday shook his head when he talked about those horrors, saying, "What man has done to men is unbelievable."

            After the war Friday returned to the port of Perth Amboy, NJ on the RMS Queen Elizabeth.  But not all was completely well.  After 165 days of combat, he wasn't used to civilian life and found himself "drinking and fighting."

            So, Friday enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in Willow Grove, PA.  He says that extra service "straightened him out."

            After that, Stanley had a long and successful career in construction and engineering, supervising many large-scale projects – including several nearby.

            But, the nightmares of war never go away.  So many years later, Stanley says he still "gets up in the middle of the night; sweating and screaming."

            Prepping for the trip to France in June didn't happen overnight.  Putting it together and making the arrangements didn't come easy and a challenge did arise with Stanley's need for a passport on short notice – something he didn't have.  If that wasn't enough, he also needed his birth certificate in order to apply; something he didn't have either.  Without a birth certificate, he needed an older sibling, who has one, to vouch for him.  At 96 that is another thing Stanley didn't have.

            Enter U.S. Senator Pat Toomey and State Senator Bob Mensch who brought their red, white, and blue scissors to cut through the red tape and help Friday get the proper documents so he could return to Normandy.  For that, the war veteran is thankful.

            Stanley and his wife Larue will make the trip courtesy of "Forever Young Senior Veterans."  The organization brings honor, healing and hope to military veterans 65-years and older by granting their unfilled dreams, returning them to the places where they fought, and sharing their stories of sacrifice with others.

            According to Rich Walzak of Forever Young, it costs about $6,000 to send a person on the trip and they are always grateful for donations. 

            To find out more information or to make a donation, visit Forever Young's website at foreveryoungvets.org or call Walzak at (480)-248-4208.