The first man to storm the beaches of Normandy was shot twice and lived to be 90
Mike Klingaman, The Baltimore Sun
Jul 22, 2020 3:00 PM EDT
Leonard “Max†Schroeder would have been 102 this month. The Linthicum native passed away at age 90 — remarkable, given the dicey role he played in World War II. Because on D-Day, 1944, Capt. Schroeder became the first American soldier to hit the sand at Normandy.
Amid heavy machine-gun fire, he led his men onto Utah Beach. Wounded twice in the left arm and side, he urged his troops inland for several miles that day where, mission accomplished, Schroeder collapsed from loss of blood. His valor earned him a Silver Star.
Being first off the boat wasn’t an achievement the broad-shouldered infantryman had sought, nor one that he reveled in afterward.
https://taskandpurpose.com/unsung-heroes/leonard-schroeder-normandy-beach-dday
