6 June 2026 0630
​On 6 June 1944, the course of human history was forever altered by the unmatched courage and determination of United States military personnel. As dawn broke over the blood-soaked sands of Normandy, thousands of young Americans stepped out of landing crafts and into a relentless hail of gunfire to confront tyranny face-to-face. They did not falter; they pressed forward through the surf and scaling the cliffs, driven by a profound duty to liberate a continent and defend global freedom.
​Eighty-two years later, we stop to remember their monumental sacrifices. The historic victory on D-Day was bought at a devastating cost, borne by ordinary citizens who answered the call to achieve extraordinary, heroic feats. The sheer bravery displayed by our soldiers, sailors, and airmen on those beaches remains one of the greatest testaments to the human spirit and military valor in world history. We owe a debt of gratitude to our fallen heroes that can never be fully repaid, but it must always be fiercely remembered.
​As the years pass and the living memory of World War II transitions into the pages of history, our responsibility to honor these warriors only deepens. May we always live lives worthy of their immense sacrifice, and may the memory of their heroic bravery continue to inspire generations to come. We remember. We honor. We salute them.
Behind the sweeping lines of military strategy are the raw, true stories of the flesh-and-blood warriors who fought, bled, and triumphed on those perilous shores. Connecticut’s sons were present across every major assault sector on 6 June 1944, leaving an indelible legacy of heroic bravery under fire.
​### Joseph Gorra – New London (Omaha Beach)
Growing up in New London, Joseph Gorra felt a profound call to service and volunteered for the army in 1943, joining the premier First Infantry Division—the legendary “Big Red One”. On the morning of D-Day, Gorra landed with the 18th Infantry Regiment in the very first wave to hit Omaha Beach. The devastation around him was immediate; his landing craft took heavy fire, and many of the men beside him were lost before they could even reach the sand. Finding himself amid the unimaginable chaos of the shoreline, Gorra did not falter. He helped lead the desperate, fierce charge up the Colleville Draw, fighting to shatter the German stranglehold on the bluffs and secure the beachhead. He survived the battle, continuing to fight through Europe, carrying the memory of his fallen brothers with him back home to Connecticut.
​### Joseph Vaghi – Bethel (Omaha Beach)
Plunging into the absolute chaos of Omaha Beach, Joseph Vaghi of Bethel served as a beachmaster, overseeing Company C of the 6th Naval Beach Battalion. Armed with flags, blinkers, and a megaphone, his monumental task was to direct troops, vehicles, and critical supplies safely ashore amidst an unrelenting hail of artillery and machine-gun fire. Under a devastating barrage, Vaghi and his men ran several hundred yards across the open sand, tirelessly working to clear paths off the beach while pulling wounded and dying comrades to safety. During the height of the assault, an enemy artillery shell exploded nearby, knocking Vaghi completely unconscious. When he woke up, he discovered his clothes were on fire. Smothering the flames, he immediately ignored his injuries and went straight back to work, continuing to direct the invasion force forward through the smoke.
​### Angelo “Al” Prece – Hamden (Omaha Beach)
Hamden native Angelo “Al” Prece landed in the terrifying first wave at Omaha Beach, hitting the most heavily defended sector of the Normandy coast. As interlocking fields of machine-gun fire tore across the open shoreline, Prece was severely wounded. Despite his injuries and the absolute carnage around him, he pressed forward through the surf, refusing to quit. Prece survived the brutal onslaught, but the memories of the brave men who never made it off those wet sands remained anchored to his soul for the rest of his life.
​Private Douglas R. Osborne – Windsor (Omaha Beach)
​The price of freedom on 6 June was painfully high, and Private Douglas R. Osborne of Windsor paid it in full. Landing on the “Easy Red” sector of Omaha Beach with the 1st Infantry Division, Osborne faced the blistering teeth of the German defenses. Through sheer valor and selflessness, he performed extraordinary actions under fire to protect his fellow soldiers, earning the Bronze Star. Tragically, Private Osborne became one of the 19 brave Connecticut servicemen who fell on D-Day, giving his life so that a continent could be liberated. His sacrifice is immortalized among the white crosses at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, looking out over the very waves he braved.
I am not a veteran. I am a member of the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force Auxiliary. But in 1991, personal loss brought me to a place I never left.
Over two decades later, that loss led me to the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown, Connecticut, where I took on the coordination of Wreaths Across America — which grew into the largest and fastest growing veterans program in the state. I didn’t do it for recognition. I did it for them.
In 2016 I founded the Connecticut Veterans Bulletin. Not because I served, but because I believe those who did deserve to be honored, connected, and kept alive.
Twenty-two veterans die by suicide every day. I knew about that number before it became a hashtag. I knew it personally, long before anyone was talking about it.
This publication exists because that number is unacceptable. Because every veteran in Connecticut deserves to know someone gives a damn.
That someone is me.