Community Corner
Local D-Day Paratrooper Travels to Normandy to Mark 70th Anniversary
Veteran Leslie Palmer Cruise Jr of Horsham parachuted into France as part of the D-Day invasion.
A 90-year-old Horsham veteran traveled to Normandy this week to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day by honoring his fallen comrades.
Leslie Palmer Cruise Jr. was a Private First Class in the 82nd Airborne during D-Day. He was one of 156,000 allied troops taking part in the invasion during World War II. He parachuted into France as part of the airborne assault.
This week, Cruise traveled back to Normandy with his family for the anniversary of the invasion.
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The New York Times spoke with Cruise for a piece published Thursday about the Whiskey 7, a lead plane that dropped paratroopers on the coast for the attack.
He told the New York Times he was grateful for the chance to fly on the plane again. “This really was a land worth saving,” he told the publication.
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In a two-minute video interview posted by USA Today, Cruise reflected on the historic day.
"It’s a part of our life that you just can’t let go of. It’s always there,” Cruise told USA Today.
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