"They had so many ships loaded up to make the invasion you could practically walk from one ship to another to cross that bay." (Audio interview)

Jay S. Adams

War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Army Unit: 37th Engineering Battalion Service Location: European Theater Highest Rank: Private First Class Place of Birth: Painesville, OH

Jay Adams wasn't supposed to be on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. He originally trained with a unit bound for the Pacific Theater, but he came down with tonsillitis just before shipping out and was reassigned. His landing craft came under such heavy fire that it had to back off from its original destination. Once ashore, Adams kept busy with his bulldozer, clearing the way for other vehicles, plowing up land mines, and building landing docks for subsequent waves of the invasion.