D-Day 80th anniversary: World War II veteran travels from metro Atlanta to Normandy
Alan Kinder, 99, travels back to Europe for 80th anniversary of D-Day
By WSBTV.com News Staff
NORMANDY, France — Thursday marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allies invasion of northwest Europe during World War II. A metro Atlanta veteran traveled to Normandy, France to mark the solemn occasion.
Alan Kinder, 99, served in the 14th Field Artillery Observation Battalion during World War II. He worked with microphones in the ground to detect enemy gunfire.
“Imagine wearing this every day,” Kinder said as he tried on a helmet just like the one he wore 80 years ago. “It’s brought back a lot of memories.”
D-Day 80th anniversary: The RAF Red Arrows display team perform during the IWM Duxford Air Show in Cambridgeshire on June 2. (Joe Giddens - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: The RAF Red Arrows display team performs during the IWM Duxford Air Show in Cambridgeshire. (Joe Giddens - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: The RAF Red Arrows display team perform during the IWM Duxford Air Show in Cambridgeshire on June 2. (Joe Giddens - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: U.S. soldiers parachute in Carentan-les-Marais, France, on June 2, 2024. The soldiers kicked off the ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6. (Lou Benoist/AFP/AFP via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: U.S soldiers parachute from a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft fly in Carentan-les-Marais, France, on June 2, 2024. (LOU BENOIST/aFP/AFP via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: Soldiers watch parachutists from a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft over Normandy. (LOU BENOIST/aFP/AFP via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: Round canopy parachutists in England prepare to load onto a Douglas C47 aircraft, known as the Dakota, which became the world's best known transport aircraft and saw widespread use by the Allies during World War II. (Joe Giddens - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: Round canopy parachutists prepare to load onto a Douglas C47 aircraft before flying over Normandy. (Joe Giddens - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: A parachutist waits to board Douglas C47 aircraft. (Joe Giddens - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: Round canopy parachutists prepare to load onto a Douglas C47 aircraft. (Joe Giddens - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: Soldiers gather around "That's All, Brother," a World War II era C47 aircraft. (HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: A man with the French Foreign Legion Metal Parachute Wings tattoo on his head is seen near the Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy. (NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: The Sainte-Mere-Eglise church with a well-known replica of U.S. paratrooper John Steele of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, whose parachute caught on the spire of the church. Area residents are preparing for the 80th anniversary of D-Day this week. (NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: Cows look on as an UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flies over Carentan-les-Marais, ahead of commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. (LOU BENOIST/AFP via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: Enthusiasts wearing replica WWII military attire stand atop tanks in a reenactors' camp. (LOU BENOIST/AFP via Getty Images)
D-Day 80th anniversary: Supermarine Spitfire N3200 lands during the IWM Duxford Air Show in Cambridgeshire on Sunday. (Joe Giddens - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)