ATLANTA– ATLANTA (AP) — Hilbert Margol says he didn’t consider himself a hero when his U.S. Army artillery unit fought its way through Europe during World War II. But he will be celebrated in France as one of 60 American veterans of that conflict who travel to Normandy to commemorate the event 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
“I know my brother and I never looked at it because we were heroes, nothing like that,” Margol said recently about himself and his twin brother Howard, who served with him. “It was just our time. That we were asked to serve. And we did that.”
Margol, 100, who lives in a suburb of Atlanta, is among a dwindling group of veterans of the conflict who will leave Atlanta on Sunday on a charter flight to Deauville, Normandy. The veterans will take part in parades, school visits and ceremonies – including the official June 6 commemoration of the landings by soldiers from the United States, Britain, Canada and other allied countries on five beaches.
Margol did not land on D-Day, but the Jacksonville, Florida native was among those who liberated the Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945.
The trip also involves high school and college students who have been selected to mentor the veterans and learn about their experiences.
Charter flights also brought veterans from Atlanta to France in 2022 and 2023.
Andy Negra of Helen, Georgia came ashore on Utah Beach with the 6th Armored Division on July 18, 1944, about six weeks after D-Day. It is his second trip back to France, having also taken part in the flight last year.
“To me, we fought for freedom, and we fought for peace, and we fought for a good life,” Negra, a native of Avella, Pennsylvania, said in a recent interview.
The trip is organized by Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, the Best Defense Foundation and the North American arm of French tire manufacturer Michelin.
“It is our privilege to celebrate and honor these heroes by flying them directly to Normandy and recognizing their incredible sacrifices and contributions to the world,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement.