The Last of the D-Day Veterans
Joe Picard is one of the few left with a personal memory of the 20th century’s greatest military operation.
TL;DR
- Joe Picard, 100, is one of the last living veterans of the D-Day invasion.
- He served in the 552nd Field Artillery Battalion, documenting events as a typist and historian.
- Picard participated in the invasion of Normandy, landing on Utah Beach several weeks after D-Day.
- He recalls significant events including the death of his best friend, Raymond Bolduc, in Germany.
- Picard reflects on the sense of national unity during WWII, which he believes is absent today.
- He now shares his memories with schoolchildren and revisits European battlefields.
- After the war, Picard pursued a career in accounting and lived a quiet life, but later reconnected with his friend's family.