Cantigny to celebrate 65th anniversary of D-Day
James Taff was barely in his 20s when he and more than 225 members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion were given one of the deadliest assignments during the Allied invasion of France.
Using grappling hooks and rope ladders, the Rangers fought their way up sheer cliffs to reach Pointe du Hoc - a rocky promontory along the Normandy coast that contained a German fortification.
"Sometimes it feels like it was a hundred years ago," said Taff, an 86-year-old St. Charles resident. "Other times it feels like it was yesterday."
Taff recalled the difficulty he had trying to climb the vertical slopes while carrying 60 pounds of gear, mostly explosives. He described German soldiers using "whatever they had" to resist the advance.
But he declines to talk about casualties his company suffered.
Instead, Taff says that whenever he looks back on what happened 65 years ago, he considers himself lucky.
"It's something I always will remember," he said. "You never forget it."
With Saturday marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day, Taff and hundreds of other World War II veterans will come together at Cantigny Park near Wheaton to commemorate the invasion that led to the liberation of Europe.
Officials with Cantigny's First Division Foundation, which is hosting the event, say they are "proud to welcome and recognize the brave men and women" who served during World War II.
"Their sacrifices helped free us from the terrible dangers of that time and shaped the world we live in today," said Paul Herbert, executive director of the Cantigny First Division Foundation. "We want them to know their legacy will not be forgotten."
With roughly 350 World War II veterans planning to attend - including more than 60 who participated in the D-Day invasion - the gathering is expected to be one of the biggest anniversary events in the nation.
"This might be their last big hurrah," said Steven Hawkins, director of information management with the First Division Museum. "At the rate they are passing away, to get more than 200 of them together at one spot again is going to be nearly impossible."
The 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. event also will serve as the public unveiling of a World War II landing craft that the First Division Museum acquired last year and has since restored.
The Higgins boat, which is one of the few remaining vessels of its type, may have been used to deliver soldiers to the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. The barge-like boat will be on public display from Saturday through June 21.
"It's such an iconic symbol of World War II," Hawkins said. "Eisenhower called Andrew Higgins, who designed the boat, the man who won the war for us. Because without these boats, it would have been difficult for us to land at any beach."
Edward Raymond, a Navy veteran who commanded a similar landing craft that carried tanks to shore during the second wave of the assault on Omaha Beach, said he's looking forward to meeting other D-Day survivors.
"I feel it's only right that I should be there celebrating that the good Lord was with me and I'm still around," the 89-year-old Glen Ellyn man said.
The Higgins boat will be dedicated after a 10 a.m. memorial service. D-Day veterans will assist with the unveiling at 11 a.m. and be among the first to view and board the landing craft, organizers said.
World War II re-enactors and active-duty 1st Infantry Division soldiers also will be at Cantigny that day. The soldiers from Fort Riley, Kan., will arrive aboard four different military helicopters. Park visitors can meet the troops and see the helicopters up close.
In addition, there will be D-Day themed activities for kids throughout the day. The Aurora American Legion Band is scheduled to perform at 3 p.m.
For details, visit dday65.org.