As an anti-aircraft gunner, Gordon Hearne, 21, landed at Omaha Beach, Normandy on June 7, 1944. That July, the U.S. Army assigned his battalion to the 28th Infantry Division. He survived five European campaigns unscathed. After the war, Hearne returned to his native Los Angeles. In 1948, for an English course at the University of Southern California, he wrote about his war an essay published for the first time in the May/June 2016 American History magazine. Now 91 and retired from a career in advertising, Gordon Hearne lives with his wife Gini in Encino, California, where he made this recording.
Related stories
Celebrating the Legacy of the Office of Strategic Services 82 Years On
From the OSS to the CIA, how Wild Bill Donovan shaped the American intelligence community.
10 Pivotal Events in the Life of Buffalo Bill
William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) led a signal life, from his youthful exploits with the Pony Express and in service as a U.S. Army scout to his globetrotting days as a showman and international icon Buffalo Bill.
During the War Years, Posters From the American Homefront Told You What to Do — And What Not to Do
If you needed some motivation during the war years, there was probably a poster for that.
The One and Only ‘Booger’ Was Among History’s Best Rodeo Performers
Texan Sam Privett, the colorfully nicknamed proprietor of Booger Red’s Wild West, backed up his boast he could ride anything on four legs.
