During this past Memorial Day, I was reminded that my grandfather, F.B. Willis, landed on Normandy on D+2 or +3. The waters off Omaha Beach were still red with the blood of soldiers. My grandfather and his company helped toe-tag and dig graves — until they captured German soldiers and made them do the digging. (During my lifetime, I only heard him talk about it a few times. He almost NEVER mentioned it, but he maintained close relationships with his “war buddies” until the very end of his life.)

May 30 My Grandfather, the Reluctant Warrior

Based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Damien Willis is a newspaper reporter and communications professional. He generally writes about the ways we pass our time in the 21st century.