This presentation of In Their Own Words is dedicated to the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces.

As the battle for global domination accelerated in 1944, it was time to open a second front in Europe. It would take

all the men, might, and machines the Allies could muster. For across the narrow English

channel lay the great fortress of Europe, Hitler's Atlantic Wall, mile upon mile of reinforced

concrete, heavy artillery, and barbed wire,

which made the cost of approaching France from the sea seem unthinkable.

The Allied commanders foresaw their soldiers waiting through tides of their own blood to breach the deadly barrier.

U.S. Navy combat demolition units, called NCDUU were to come ashore in the very first waves

of assault troops to blow up beach obstacles and clear the way for the landing craft. The following

are in-depth interviews with courageous men from these Navy Combat Demolition Units. These are their

experiences in their own words. Jerry Markham was a chief machinist made in Navy combat demolition unit 46 on June 6th, 1944.

Let's just kind of start at the beginning. How did you get into Navy combat demolition?

Well, it was, in 1943, the war was going on pretty heavy if you're at that particular

time.

And I was about 24 years old, I was working on a large power plant in a paper mill in Jacksonville,

Florida, and I had an exempt job as far as

a draft was concerned.

But I was coming to you for just a second.

As much as possible, I want to look at me when you're talking.

We'll just carry on our conversation here and ignore these guys.

So I was becoming pretty restless, and I decided that maybe I could join a CB's and

make a contribution along the lines of my power engineering training.

...