It was a spot of flying that is almost impossible to beat for a start. Followed up by a very gallant attack and defense of a critical bridge.
A great example of "ordinary" men doing "extra-ordinary" feats.
In our neighborhood, each year at this time, we stop to remember a Virginia National Guard unit that landed on Omaha Beach all those years ago.
"A" Co, 116th Infantry Regiment, formed from an area surrounding Bedford, Virgina was in the first wave of troops at Omaha Beach. They lost 91 KIA, 64 WIA out of 170 men in the Company, in the first fifteen minutes of landing, and had only 15 men fit for duty at the end of the day.
Bedford, a town of about 3500 people lost 21 sons that day, 19 crossing the beach and 2 more later that day.