We were so heavily loaded with ammunition, rations and equipment that everyone had to be boosted into the aircraft.

We now knew we would be dropped on the Cotentin Peninsula behind the invasion force beaches, 8-10 miles from the East Coast and just west of Ste Mere Eglise. 

As I recall, there were 18 men in my plane. This meant that only the first ten men could stand up and hook up, and start out the door, before the remaining men could get up and hook up, I was number 13.

I remember that there was a great deal of silence in our plane as we flew across the English Channel. I know my thoughts were very personal.

I remember passing islands that were probably Guernsey and Jersey with many red flashes showing from the ground. I do not believe our C-47 plane was hit by flak or small arms fire at anytime.  At least, I am sure no one in our plane was hit before we dropped. 

The last item we placed on over all of our equipment when we boarded the plane was a Mae West type life preserver for the trip across the channel. I remember just before our jumpmaster called for us to stand up and hook up, I decided to leave my Mae West behind.

I later learned that we had jumped at about 350 feet above the ground, and to my amazement, after the opening shock of my parachute, every-where I looked was water. There was not much time to think, I prepared to drown, as I had never learned to swim.  Not that it would have done me any good, for the way I was loaded down with equipment; I probably would have gone under water and stayed there anyway. 

I was lucky; a breeze caught my chute on the surface of the water and aquaplaned me toward a tree-lined causeway [built up roadway]. When my chute wrapped up in the trees, I pulled myself up on roadway by using the suspension lines. I am certain that jumpers 14 through 18 were dragged and drowned -- especially if they landed on the far side of that cause-way. 

As I had helped construct the objective area sand tables, I knew generally where I had landed in relation to the causeway, and I knew in which direction I had to go on the causeway to get to our assembly area.

There was a problem however, the Germans had positioned machine-guns at each end of the causeway. I decided that by staying slightly be-low the roadway itself, I might be able to stay out of the line of fire.