WW2 Veterans Honored as City Gathers to Watch D-Day Film

CHATTANOOGA, TN. (WDEF-TV) – Seventy years later, there are few left of the 150-thousand Americans who landed in Normandy on D-Day.
That invasion established a beachhead that led to the downfall of Nazi Germany a year later.
D-Day was observed all over the country and here in Chattanooga at the I-Max.

For many Americans, world war two is as remote as the Civil War.
Its part of history, but not necessarily important to younger people who may not know the details.
They could have learned a lot in a short period of time at the I-Max theater, where those who lived that "war to end all wars" told their stories.

JACK SPITTLER, U.S. NAVY, 1942-45 "We would go in D-minus 6…and site bombarded and then we’d land marines and stay with them as long as they needed fire..and then we’d leave and go on up to the next one." .

GEORGE PALMER, U.S NAVY 1941-1945 " I served on 5 different ships, I went in before Pearl Harbor ..My first ship was the old battleship Texas."

Millions of Americans played an active role in that war–some in Europe, many fighting the Japanese campaign in the Pacific.
But the focus of this observance was D-Day…the longest day, June 6, 1944.
Hundreds of people were at the I-Max to see a 3-D documentary narrated by Tom Brokaw.

And there was one very special guest whose should be familiar to Chattanoogans.
Sgt. Charles Coolidge, medal of honor recipient for actions in saving his unit in 1944.
We wanted to know, do Americans really understand and appreciate the sacrifices made by our soldiers in that war?

SGT. CHARLES COOLIDGE, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT "Not really! I lived with a woman for 64 years..my wife…until she died I don’t think she ever really understood."

Every world war 2 vet had a story.

PAUL GEORGE, U.S. COAST GUARD "We were at Iwo Jima on D-Day. The we stayed there 81 days …Taking stuff off and putting stuff on."

And most have strong opinions about what’s happening today in the country.

JACK SPITTLER "We’re disarming, but the Chinese are arming, Russia’s arming..the whole world in on fire and we’re turning off the hoses."

But the message of the big war is simple.

PAUL GEORGE "We had a country to protect and we did it."

"D-Day, 3-D, Normandy 1944 " will be shown at noon and 2pm Saturday and Sunday.
Proceeds will go to help support the National Medal of Honor Museum of Military History at Northgate Mall.