Hail to the heroes who took the beach

On June 4, 1944, Staff Sgt. Donald Gordon Barron, wire sergeant for the headquarters unit of the 113th field artillery, then attached to the 80th (Old Hickory) Division, boarded a landing ship off the coast of England. The former lumber salesman from Flint, Mich., was referred to as “Pappy” by most of the men in his unit. He, along with the others on board, knew where they were headed. Well, not exactly where, but they knew it was to the south or southeast, and that their reception would be warm.