Jump Into the Valley of the Shadow: The War Memories of Dwayne Burns Communications Sergeant, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment

When Dwayne Burns turned 18 during World War II, he decided that he wanted to fight alongside America’s best. He joined the paratroopers and was assigned to the 508th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. Little did he suspect that a year later he'd be soaring in a flak-riddled C–47 over Normandy, part of the very spearhead of the Allied drive to seize back Europe.

Burns landed behind German lines during the dark, early hours of D–day, and gradually found other survivors of his division. T...