The 75th Anniversary of D-Day

On this day 75 years ago, Ralph Mouw and his heavy artillery unit came ashore at Utah Beach. Recounting the invasion to his family in a letter a few weeks later, Ralph expressed wonder at the trucks driving under water, gratitude for his battery’s survival, and even his fear of the situation:

“We are all proud of the fact that our Bty was the only one of its kind to be in on the assault. It scared us too a little and we are mighty thankful we can still write about it. When we first came ashore there were Germans on three sides and the ocean at our backs — a rather tight spot considering the enemy was within small arms fire on this side. So we have had our baptism of fire and I’ve come to the conclusion that anyone who is not afraid is a fool.”

The archives holds Ralph Mouw’s letters from World War II, a collection that lets us all recount the sacrifice men like Ralph made. Today we remember them all.