News 2 You: D-Day told by Buffalo veterans

BUFFALO, NY — This week marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy, when the largest armada ever assembled began its assault on the beaches and countryside of France to liberate Europe and when 2,500 brave soldiers Americans are dead.

In 2024, the average age of surviving World War II veterans is 97, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Statistics from the National World War II Museum compiled as of September 2023 indicate that about 119,500, or less than 1 percent, of the 16.4 million Americans who served in the war, were still with us.

With a death rate of 131 per day, there might be fewer than 85,000 left today.

When it comes to veterans who fought on D-Day, there may only be a few thousand.

Ultimately, there are very few veterans left who can tell a first-hand account of the D-Day invasion, and there won’t be any in the not-so-distant future.

Thirty years ago, however, when we celebrated the 50th anniversary of D-Day, these veterans were mostly between 60 and 70 years old.

Many more of them shared their memories and they did so in a series of special reports broadcast by Channel 2 News on June 6, 1994.

In this week’s News 2 You Extra, we feature these stories again. Many of the D-Day veterans interviewed are now long gone, but you may recognize them as having been a neighbor, friend or relative.

This series of stories features reports from Channel 2’s Cheryl Hagen, Carol Kaplan, Barry Lillis, Colleen Brennan, Annette Falwell and Rich Kellman. Also included is a report featuring relatives of Charles DeGlopper who posthumously received the America’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor, for his bravery and sacrifice during the Battle of Normandy.

Watch News 2 You every Monday at 11am on Channel 2’s Midday.

Check out previous episodes on our YouTube channel.