This Friday is the 81st anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy. Known as D-Day, on June 6, 1944, American and Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, in an invasion which would liberate France.
This week’s Grave of the Week, Pvt. Lucas J. Rivas, was a member of the 505th parachutists of the 82nd Airborne. In March 1944, PFC Rivas won the right to wear the world-famous wings and boots of the US Volunteer Paratroopers. Later that month, he completed three weeks of training and graduated from the basic course of the communications school of the Parachute School at Fort Benning in Georgia. This was one of five specialist schools offered to parachutists. Only qualified jumpers could apply and only the best were chosen.
On June 6, 1944, the entire 505th jumped into Normandy. The first jumps began at 3 am. The paratroopers jumped prior to the actual invasion, referred to as “H-Hour.” Because of that tradition, the motto of the 505th is “H-Minus.” They participated in the liberation of the first town, St. Mere-Eglise. The 505th spent over two weeks in Normandy defending the area from Germans. When replacements arrived, they returned to England for their next mission, Operation Market-Garden.
PFC Lucas was in Company D. On September 17, 1944, the regiment jumped into Nijmegen, Holland. The objective was to secure the bridges in Nijmegen. Pvt. Lucas was wounded in action on September 19, 1944, and he succumbed to his injuries on September 21, 1944. Bodies were not returned home until after the war, and only at the request of the family. The application for Pvt. Lucas’ veteran’s headstone is dated February 8, 1949, so he remained overseas for many years.
These events were the inspiration for movies like, “Longest Day” and “A Bridge Too Far.”
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