We are excited to share some of the wonderful articles that have been appearing in the news about the WWII veterans and guests who have traveled with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours on our 75th Anniversary of D-Day, Iwo Jima, and Band of Brothers® Tours. Every story captures the experience you can have on a tour with us. There are some outstanding photos in these articles so be sure to read each one.
75th Anniversary of D-Day Tour
Dispatch from Normandy: Honouring D-Day Veterans on the 75th anniversary
By Diane Covington-Carter, France Today
“They died for us. We can’t forget them.”
The words of a young French girl who attended the 75th anniversary of D-Day ceremonies at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, France on June 6th, 2019 express well the feelings of the people of Normandy about the returning veterans.
‘A chance to heal’: Veterans return to Normandy 75 years later, honor the fallen at D-Day
By Diane Covington-Carter, The Union of Grass Valley
I have had the honor of spending time this past week with many of the returning veterans, for the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. I’ve watched French children hug them and shake their hands. The young American Army soldiers who are here to take part in the ceremonies honor them and listen to them. People want to pose with them for photographs and ask for autographs. They are in their glory and everyone wants them to have it.
By far the most spry of all the veterans I talked with was George Cross, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, who jumped into Normandy in the early hours of June 6. George was only 17 when he joined the Army and 19 when he landed in France.
He landed on a dirt road in the dark, took off his parachute and hid in the hedgerows, waiting to find the other members of the 82nd.
Veterans tell their stories at D-Day ceremonies in France
By Diane Covington-Carter, Napa Valley Register
This is a generation of men who were raised to not cry and show emotion. But as they talked about what they experienced in the war, it was as if it was yesterday. Their eyes filled with tears as they remembered losing friends, then shone with the good memories, of surviving and of strength in the face of true adversity.
Here are a few of the stories from those who made the long journey back to Normandy.
D-Day pilot flies back to Normandy in same type of plane he flew 75 years ago
By Ibtissem Guenfoud, ABC News
Retired Lt. Col. Dave Hamilton [Hamilton was a guest on the Commemorative Air Force/Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours 75th Anniversary of D-Day Tour], who now lives in Prescott, Arizona, was barely out of high school when he dropped paratroopers into Normandy on D-Day. He is the last surviving pilot to drop pathfinder paratroopers, specialized units that were the first servicemen to parachute in and set up operations support, on June 6, 1944.
“Wonderful, wonderful flight!” Hamilton said. “We had a great time and they gave me the privilege of going in the cockpit, sitting in the right seat. … We had a great trip.”
Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours Taking Seven WWII Veterans to Normandy for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day Commemorative Ceremonies
Defense Daily Network
Seven WWII veterans, including four D-Day veterans, are in Normandy with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours to attend the commemorative ceremonies to be held at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer on June 6, 2019. The company is operating twenty 75th Anniversary of D-Day Tours, taking more than 675 guests, many of whom will have the honor of being joined by one of the WWII veterans.
Iwo Jima Tour
Martha visits Guam, Iwo Jima to research WWII
Fox News
Martha MacCallum shares images from her Stephen Ambrose military history tour.
Moline teacher and son tour WWII sites, share experiences with MHS students
By Leon Lagerstam, Dispatch Argus
A tour of Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima that focused on historical World War II locations turned into a whale of a graduation present and something to be crossed off the bucket list for Trent Lamphier and his son, Treyton Lamphier.
The Lamphiers were the youngest among 25 people who took the 11-day tour in mid-March. It was booked through the Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours company.
Band of Brothers® Tour
Williamsport couple’s ‘trip of a lifetime’ retraced steps of ‘Band of Brothers’
By Valerie Bonk, Herald Mail Media
Guest Richard and Cindy Moats are interviewed about their experience on our Band of Brothers Tour.
“Standing on the beach, knowing that this is where the soldiers took their steps that day, is just an unbelievable experience,” Cindy said. “The entire trip was extremely humbling.”
Go Back In Time At Easy Company Training Grounds: Toccoa, Georgia
By Tom Snow, AOPA Foundation Blog
Could you have qualified to become a World War II paratrooper? You can find out if you fly to Toccoa, Georgia, and challenge Currahee Mountain.
In early June we were fortunate to tag along with one of the quarterly Stephen Ambrose Band of Brothers Historical Tours, which brought a bus load of 22 people from all over the country to see where Easy Company first trained.
Led by historian Chris Anderson, the group was on the first day of a two-week international trip following the company’s history from Georgia to England, France, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. Having personally interviewed many Easy Company veterans over the years, Anderson has an encyclopedic knowledge of their history.
Travel with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours
It has been an honor and privilege to have so many WWII veterans and guests from across America and abroad travel with us over the decades. We offer a rich array of historical, WWII, WWI, Civil War, D-Day and Band of Brothers® Tours that are based on Dr. Ambrose’s research and led by full-time historians, who are leaders in their field and world-renowned authors. Like Stephen Ambrose, we enlighten, entertain, and educate with our tours.
