Remembering a World War II veteran who took part in D-Day invasion

Today is the day! 

The day when The War Memorial and the community come together to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. 

This marks the final installment of our lead up to D-Day stories, the first of which came in February. On the sixth of each month, we featured a story related to the largest amphibious invasion in military history. In May for National Military Appreciation Month, we examined ways that military members were appreciated, and entertained, during World War II.  Prior to that, stories focused on Victory Gardens in World War II, women in the war, and the story of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion.   

For June, we pay tribute to World War II veteran Clifford Alvira who attended the dedication of Les Braves II: At Water’s Edge at The War Memorial in May 2023. Les Braves II is the official world-wide twin of Les Braves in Normandy, France, originally created for the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion and sculpted by French artist Anilore Banon. It is a lasting tribute to the western Allies that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.      

Alvira served in the Navy from 1943-1945. He passed away in April at the age of 99. Alvira arrived on Omaha Beach, the most heavily defended beach by German forces, at 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944, forever known as D-Day.    

Alvira served as a seaman 2nd class, arriving on D-Day in landing craft tank 542 with 30 other men. His job that day, still a teenager, was to take over for the operator of another landing craft, in the event he was killed.   

“Our job was to land the guys on the beach,” Alvira said. “Once we hit the beach, then we heard all of the fireworks. Everything was timed. The planes came over first and bombed the beaches, then we arrived.”  

As he approached the beach, he remembers it being foggy and seeing bullet tracers, bombings and plenty of planes. He notes that what made Omaha Beach so dangerous was that once his unit arrived, the plan was for reimbursements of supplies to arrive, something that never happened.   

“We ended up with 100 tons of supplies, not 2,400,” he recalled.   

Altogether, Alvira was in Europe from January to June 1944. 

We thank you for your readership of this story series and invite all to join us today at 6 p.m. for the commemorative ceremony.