Hewlett man remembers D-Day

William Barnett was in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946, and was stationed in Grosvenor Square in London at the Adjutant General's Office, a central hub of information where filing of casualties, Army publications and clerical work were done. Barnett says he was among the first to see photos of concentration camps during their liberation. On the day of the World War II D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, June 6, 1944, Barnett sent a letter to his family. The letter was rediscovered by his sister decades letter, and he sent it to the Nassau Herald for publication.

Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Barnett today is a retired show business C.P.A. in his 80s. He has lived in the same home in Hewlett since 1958.

"Well, the long awaited invasion day has finally arrived and it was accompanied by plenty of excitement around here," he wrote in the letter.

"A while after the official announcement was released, a special religious service to commemorate the landing was held for all religions in the chapel at the hq [headquarters]."

"In the morning I heard Gen. Eisenhower speak over the radio and just a while ago I heard His Majesty, King George."