Friday, June 6, 2025 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2
On D-Day, a roughly 7,000-yard stretch of beach in Normandy, France given the code name "Omaha" proved to be the Allies' biggest obstacle to the success of Operation Overlord.
The assignment to take Omaha Beach, establish a beachhead, and move inland into France was given to two American divisions — the already battle-hardened 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) and the untested 29th Infantry Division (The Blue and the Gray), who had yet to see any combat in World War II.
American Naval Combat Demolition Units also hit the beach that day, writing their own individual stories of horror and heroism. Seven decades after the "Boys of Omaha Beach" landed, many veterans are returning to this part of the Normandy coast for the last time.
Other soldiers who were there on D-Day have also come back for the first time since that historic day, looking for closure as they enter the final years of their lives.
“Omaha Beach: Honor And Sacrifice” reveals the very personal stories of several veterans as they return to Omaha Beach and documents the celebration in Normandy that continues to this day as a result of their acts of courage and determination on June 6, 1944.
Narrated by Major League Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster Tim McCarver.
"Omaha Beach: Honor And Sacrifice" is on Facebook
You can purchase the film through the World War II Foundation.
Distributed by American Public Television.
