BALTIMORE — World War II was the deadliest war in history with a death toll of nearly 70 million people.
For many of us, it's history we learned about in textbooks, movies and documentaries; but, for legends like 96-year-old Baltimore native Milton England Sr., it's a chapter of his life he'll never forget.
Within minutes of talking with the veteran, you'll quickly learn two things: he's a proud veteran who served in the Navy during WWII, and he can recall nearly every detail of his experiences on the battlefield.
"In Normandy, I went to 6 Utah Beach Omaha," he remembered.
He was a part of the invasion of the beaches of Normandy during D-Day, coined the largest amphibious invasion in history.
When England joined the navy at 17-years-old, he had no clue what he was getting himself into.
"I thought we were going to be at peace. I didn't know we were going to war. It took us 22 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean with 200 or something ships," said England.
Though he didn't know at the time, he had a key role in what became known as Operation Overlord.
"My job, I kept the magazines filled. That's the magazine you put on your 50-caliber machine gun, then you slam it down. We had to stand by because sometimes they misfired. We have gloves on and we take the bullet out and throw them in the water and it'll blow up," England explained.
In the face of danger, he recalls some of the darkest days in battle where many of his friends wouldn't survive.
"The Germans would shoot us. We lost more with scrap metal than we did with bullets. When the bomb blows up, scrap metal fires and shoot you in the leg, and the near misses skins face. You know the wind from the near misses," he said.
For England, prayer wasn't anything unordinary, but he considers it the key to his survival.
"The guys would ask me , Mr. Milton, every time I see you, you're talking to yourself. I say I ain't talking to myself. I'm talking to my father. How're you going to talk to your father and your father in Baltimore? I say I'm talking to my father up there. I said y'all better talk to him too. They say what you tell him? I told him put a shield behind us. Put a shield behind our ship so the Germans won't blow us up," he recalled.
Just last month, his American Legion Post 285 family in Baltimore honored the veteran with a black and white gala for his patriotism, heroism and sacrifice during WWII.
"They gave me the greatest honor that a person could ask for in their life. They treat me like I was General. I was so overwhelmed," England recalled.
Current service members and veterans alike recognized Mr. England for laying the foundation all of them stand on today.
"They say Mr. Milton we thank you. If it wasn't for y'all, we wouldn't be where we were at, we'd be just like y'all, nothing. They can't treat them like nobody now. They're just like the President," he remembered. I've never had such a good time in my life."
