WWII vet from Yonkers recalls D-Day 75 years later

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

News 12 Staff

Jun 6, 2019, 9:46 PM

Updated 1,778 days ago

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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.


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