Normandy, France (June 6, 2025): As the world celebrates the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings, some of the vanishing breed that fought that day are returning to France likely for the last time. In this photo by Staff Sergeant Reece Heck, one of these surviving heroes, Army veteran Fred Nungesser, salutes during a ceremony honoring veterans of the D-Day landings.
Nungesser was a heavy weapons machine gunner assigned to the 84th Infantry Division, operating a .30 caliber water-cooled machine gun. He was born on September 5th, 1925, in Union City, New Jersey and was drafted into the Army in July 1944. He completed Basic Training at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, before shipping out to Le Havre, France in early January 1945.
After the D-Day landings, Nungesser participated in the fighting at the Roer River as the allies crossed into Germany. The 84th Infantry Division continued its advance through Germany, ultimately reaching the Rhine and Elbe Rivers. The division participated in the Battle of the Bulge which lasted five weeks and led to 81,000 American casualties.
Troops of the 84th Infantry Division also liberated two Nazi concentration camps in April 1945. As such, the 84th is officially recognized as a "Liberating Unit" by both the U.S. Army's Center of Military History and the Holocaust Memorial Museum
After the war, the 84th was involved in the occupation of Germany, returning to the United States in January 1946 for demobilization. Nungesser remained in the Army until he was discharged in 1947.
Recently, the 99-year-old Nungesser along with three other U.S. veterans was hosted by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. He and his entourage held a private meeting with the Royals who expressed their gratitude for their help liberating their country.
Nungesser went on to have a successful career in the insurance business and he helped raise six children. He is now the great-grandfather of five.