Tom Rice, U.S. Army Airborne, D-Day World War II

The first Americans to set foot in Europe on D-Day in June 1944 were the paratroopers, including the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division.

California native Tom Rice was the first man from the 101st to jump out of his plane into the pitch black night over the Normandy coast.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Rice tells host Greg Corombos about the difficulties of getting out of the plane, trying to find the rest of his unit scattered across the French countryside, and fighting his way out of Normandy.

Rice also shares his experiences from the unsuccessful airborne attempt to cross the Rhine in September 1944 known as Operation Market Garden. He also details fighting and getting injured at the Battle of the Bulge and what he felt when the war in Europe came to an end.

Finally, Rice tells why he decided to re-enact his jump into Normandy again in 2019 at 97-years-old for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.