On Sunday, the 66th anniversary of D-Day, many Americans will remember the day when Allied forces penetrated Nazi-occupied Western Europe in a massive, coordinated effort that eventually turned the war against Germany.<\/p>\n
But the remaining members of the “Greatest Generation,” especially those who fought in World War II, may recall the moment in more visceral, less sweeping, ways: words spoken to a dying friend, a mother’s care package full of sweets and shoe polish, the heavy smell of blood and bodies, shrapnel piercing skin.<\/p>\n
Seated this many years later at Arlington Park racetrack in Illinois, Dick Duchossois struggles to explain the lingering mix of pride and horror from his service in World War II.<\/p>\n
“Most people don’t understand,” said Duchossois, 88. “D-Day was very pivotal to the entire war, but you lost so many of your friends and the people close to you \u201d\u00a6 and you remember those things. It scares you to even think about it.”<\/p>\n