As planes flew over Normandy, thousands of miles away people gathered in Yonkers to remember and reflect on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Yonkers resident and WWII veteran Frank Fortuna was 19 years old on June 6, 1944, when Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy. Fortuna was behind the wheel of a boat.

He didn't realize at the time that he was part of a moment that changed the course of history, and he wasn't the only Yonkers native who was.

There were also five Yonkers residents who lost their lives that day: Lt. Richard Detwyler, Pvt. James A. Hayes Jr. Sgt. James Henwood, Pvt. Robert Kendrick, and 2nd Lt. John B. Clemons Jr. of the U.S. Army.

Fortuna has made a promise to himself to return to Normandy for the 80th anniversary.