A D-Day Memory

The Allied invasion of Europe was a memorable day for me, then a 14-year-old boy.

Eighty-one years ago on this date (June 6), I was awakened about 5 a.m. with a phone call to report to the newspaper distribution station to pick up copies of the Milwaukee Journal "Extra," published to announce the Allied invasion of Normandy.

I've never forgotten that morning, muggy and cloudy day, as I rode my Schwinn bicycle yelling "Extra, Extra, Extra. Allies invade Europe." I was then a 14-year-old boy, a freshman in high school, who as a newspaper carrier made a penny a paper for each one I sold or delivered. I delivered some 95 papers daily, and netted about $5 a week, to me a small fortune.

At the time, the United States was in the midst of World War II and we were beginning to believe the War would never end. As a boy, I along with my classmates were following the daily news closely, checking the maps in the newspaper to see how far our troops were progressing (or in some case, losing). While we boys were still interested in girls and cars and football, we also cared about the War, since in a few years, we expected to be drafted into one of the Armed Services.

As it turned out, the D-Day invasion was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany and eventually Imperial Japan. The War ended in September 1945, thus sparing us from being drafted. (Most of us, however, would be caught up in the draft in the Korean War (1950-1955), and serve anyway.)

Today, it's hard to envision the importance of the "Extra" editions that newspapers put out in the first half of the 20th Century. There was no television then, of course, to proclaim major news event, and radio was limited in its scope. I remember vividly newsboys (girls were not so employed then) running the streets announcing "Extra, Extra, Extra. Louis defeats Schmeling," "Hindenburg balloon cashes," "Roosevelt wins 3rd term." and so on.

Yet, the June 6, 1944 "Extra" remains etched in my aging brain.