Harold Mitchler, a proud veteran, returned to Normandy 51 years after D-Day to visit the French beaches he had flown over. He was a gunner and a radioman during World War II, completing 65 missions as part of a unit known as the "Bridge Busters." It was a memorable trip.
Technically a member of the 397th Bombardment group, Mr. Mitchler and his wife, Sally, toured Omaha Beach in France with other veterans he had fought alongside.
“On the way over the English Channel, he looked down and said he remembered looking out of the window of his plane on D-Day, and that the air was full of planes and the channel full of ships,” Mrs. Mitchler said.
Mr. Mitchler, an Atlanta-based refrigeration salesman, died Aug. 28. He was 89. Wages & Sons, Stone Mountain Chapel is handling arrangements. His cremated remains will be buried in the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton at a later date.
The Mitchlers, who were married 61 years, had an emotional time while visiting the various World War II battlefield sites.
“Everywhere we went, everyone was so wonderful; they loved Americans at that point,” Mrs. Mitchler said. “We went to Omaha Beach, to the cemetery in Cambridge [England], where the oldest Kennedy boy is buried. We laid a big wreath at the chapel there.”
Originally from Evanston, Ill., Mr. Mitchler and his wife lived in New York and New Jersey before moving to the Atlanta area in 1971 and Lilburn in 1980. After retirement, the Mitchlers traveled extensively.
In May, Mr. Mitchler and his wife moved to Monroe and bought a new house to share with their daughter’s family.
“He was a great dad, a wonderful man,” said Mary Daniel, his daughter. “I always thought that he was the funniest man I knew. Once while playing Password, my clue was ‘dad’ for the word ‘funny.'”
Survivors also include four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
