For the first time since he flew over France as a fighter pilot in World War II, Wallace King is back in Normandy to honor and remember those who fought during the D-Day invasion.
“Our squadron lost 29 pilots in the nine months we were in combat,” King said this week in Atlanta. “I’m here to honor their memory because that’s a lot of people to lose in nine months. We were doing very critical work supporting frontline troops.”
King is among the 30 World War II veterans from across the country who took a charter commercial flight from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Normandy to commemorate Monday’s 78th anniversary of D-Day. The flight was a collaboration between Delta Air Lines and the Best Defense Foundation, which tries to take veterans back to the battlefield where they sacrificed so much.
It was the first time a U.S. passenger airline flew directly to Normandy.
“This is very special to give them an opportunity to go back to the battlefield they once fought on,” former NFL player and Best Defense Foundation founder/president Donnie Edwards said. “Seventy-eight years later, it is so special because of the camaraderie, the ultimate closure we are allowing these veterans to have, it’s wonderful.”
Edwards and Virgine Durr, a Delta employee and Normandy native, worked together to set up the flight for the veterans. Durr said she is eternally grateful for the sacrifices made by all those who died during D-Day and all the veterans who are still alive today and fought to liberate France.
“Being from Normandy, my grandparents were liberated by these guys. I would not be in this country without them. Every year, I honor them back in Normandy,” Durr said. “I cannot wait for them to see what’s in store for them, to show them we don’t take freedom for granted. We never forgot their sacrifices. Some never saw how we honored them, so I’m excited to bring them back and have them experience what Normandy is going to do for them.”
Of the 30 veterans who went on the trip, only a few fought in Normandy on D-Day, but all of them served during WWII.
King, who is from Ohio, enlisted in 1942 and joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. Ever since he was a boy, he knew he wanted to fly, so he didn’t hesitate and enlisted as soon as he turned 18. He didn’t fight on D-Day, but arrived in Normandy six weeks after the invasion began.
He was later transferred to a group of P-47 Thunderbolts who supported Gen. George Patton’s Third Army as it rolled across France.
“We were his air arm, and we protected his flanks. He could go east without worrying about Germans counterattacking on his flanks,” King said.
During his 75th mission, King was shot down in German territory. He was injured and burned before being taken as a prisoner. King said a German doctor protected him and other prisoners until they were taken back to the Allies. The 98-year-old is excited to be able to honor those who lost their lives on D-Day.
Neal McCallum, who lives in Florida, never fought in Europe but his brothers did, including one who died in France. His brothers didn’t get to Normandy until D-Day 2 and D-Day 3. McCallum volunteered to join the Marines after turning 17 and was sent to the Pacific, where he trained at Guadalcanal for seven months.
It was shortly after turning 18 that McCallum saw his first combat action during Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa. He was seriously injured in the Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill, where his best friend and more than 3,000 Marines died. He was discharged as a corporal after three years.
The 95-year-old said he was glad he would be able to honor his brothers and the rest of the soldiers who never made it back home.
“It means a great deal, but also to honor my brothers, too. My mother and father made a big donation of humanity for liberty and freedom,” McCallum said.
During the trip, McCallum planned to meet a friend he made during the COVID-19 pandemic. A French student researching history found McCallum through the Sixth Marine Division Organization. The student was inquiring about the Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill, so since McCallum was there and spoke French after living in France for many years, they connected and exchanged correspondence.
Dorothy Jones, of California, served as a Navy nurse during World War II, mostly spending her time recruiting on the East Coast. In 1942, the then-22-year-old volunteered and became one of the first women to join the Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service division.
Although she didn’t go to Europe, a family member was deployed and died during the war.
“Each year, more and more World War II veterans don’t make it through the end of the year,” Jones, who recently turned 101, said. “Everybody you see has a different story.”
Throughout the trip, the veterans will be escorted by Delta veterans and veterans from other wars who wanted to travel to Normandy to honor those who died during the invasion. Durr said her mother was going to be at the airport when they arrived Thursday to sing the French national anthem.
She didn’t promise that Delta would make the trip a regular one for WWII veterans, but Edwards said he was grateful that so many veterans, some of whom are over 100 years old, will get this opportunity.
“It’s so powerful for them. I’m so happy many of these first-time veterans are going back, having this opportunity in the twilight years of their lives,” he said. “There are some of the guys who hesitated going back before and now they want to go back all the time. I can’t wait for them to see the French people.”
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