(NEXSTAR) – Eighty years ago, American soldiers and their allies stormed the beaches of Normandy and began the process of liberating continental Europe from the Nazis. In the decades since, the heroism exhibited that day has been honored in print, song, and on the movie screen. But the American heroes of D-Day were also members of communities across the United States. Their individual stories continue to inspire those around them eight decades after setting foot on French sand.
To mark the anniversary of this moment of national pride, a team of Nexstar journalists spent months following threads that humanize the ordinary people who teamed up to achieve victory on this extraordinary mission. The result is a special called “D-Day: The Greatest Victory,” airing this week on all 117 Nexstar television markets nationwide.
You can see the full special for yourself in the player above. In addition to first-hand accounts of storming Utah Beach, you’ll see segments on:
- A daughter who describes never meeting her father, who went off to war at 16 years old, too young to be drafted, but just old enough to lie about his age.
- The families of the Bedford Boys, 20 young men who died within minutes of each other, share the stories of the impact in this small Virginia town.
- The story of four civilian women who made a difference in the lives of allied troops in Europe, buried with them in the hallowed grounds of the Normandy American Cemetery.
- First-hand accounts from the letters that made it from the warfront to the Homefront.
- The saga of the Niland Family from Tonawanda, New York, who lost two sons in the D-day Invasion. Two others fought and made it home heroes, scarred from the trauma of war. Their story is the inspiration for an Academy Award winning film and the inspiration for another young Niland, who is now following in the footsteps of his hero great uncles — training to be a Navy Helicopter pilot.
- Deception is also part of the story of D-Day, as a secret non-combat unit tricked the Nazi’s to strategically move Allied Forces. This plan was made public in the mid-90s, but it was not until this spring that the surviving soldiers received the medal of honor.
- But it’s not all about the past: The program also brings viewers the story of a former football star who’s formed a new team that takes care of veterans and returns them to the battlefields where they once fought.
To understand what went into telling some of the most harrowing stories of WWII, Nexstar hosted a live, recorded conversation with the creators of the special. During the recording, WAVY-TV Anchor Marielena Balouris, Chief Photographer Jeff Myers and Nexstar Senior Vice President Jerry Walsh discussed filming some poignant segments of the special. You can watch that conversation in its entirety in the player below.
For even deeper exploration of Nexstar’s D-Day reporting, please visit our dedicated D-Day Anniversary section, which includes additional journalism from across the U.S. and a timeline of the D-Day invasion.