ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Eighty-two years after Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, the legacy of D-Day lives on not only in history books, but right here in our hometowns.
This week, WDBJ7’s Melissa Gaona had the privilege of sitting down with two local veterans who took part in one of the most pivotal moments of World War II; James Flinchum and George Hubbard.
James Flinchum was born on October 15, 1923. He was raised in Floyd County, Virginia. Flinchum began his WWII service in the Army Air Forces as an Aviation Engineer stationed in England. In that role, he pulled several Allied pilots returning from battle from their burning aircraft. He survived a crane collapse during a Normandy operation and sought cover on a beachhead as German bombs exploded around him. He described it saying, “It was like fireworks. When it ended, I was at Berlin airport and we were all watching our P-51s escort German planes into land.”…