National D-Day Museum Opens in New Orleans

World War II veterans looked back to 56 years ago and others paused to honor them Tuesday as crowds celebrated the opening of the National D-Day Museum.

Retired Sgt. Charles H. Porbes wore his dress greens and medals. Arnold Smith’s reunion baseball cap and “World War II veteran” tag were all that marked his military service.

Both came early to the Superdome to watch fellow veterans parade past with a flyover by 54 military planes as the museum officially opened on the 56th anniversary of the invasion to liberate Europe from Nazi terror.

“I got up extra early this morning. Five o’clock,” said Porbes, who survived three campaigns in New Guinea and one in the Philippines and now lives in New Orleans.

Porbes shared memories of his service with Vietnam veterans Olden Ledet and Jim Breland, who carried a flag and a sign reading “Thanks to World War II veterans.”

“It was so hot in the hold that we slept on deck. They didn’t have to blow reveille--they just turned that hose on us,” Porbes said.

Smith, 79, of Pecola, Okla., said he had five combat stars in the Philippines and got credit for shooting down nine Japanese planes.

At the museum, founder Stephen E. Ambrose looked tired from several days of events but wore the blazing smile of someone who had seen his dream come true.

“It’s just wonderful to see the baby boomer generation, and their children going up to the veterans and thanking them for what they did and to see the veterans discussing the war with them,” said the 64-year-old author of “D-Day” and several other histories of World War II.

In the front row at the opening ceremonies were eight Medal of Honor winners, backed by hundreds of dignitaries, elected officials and veterans who paid homage to those who fell.

“We are the heirs of your sacrifice, and we can only stand here in awe of your courage,” Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said.

Steven Spielberg, whose movie “Saving Private Ryan” bolstered the drive for the museum, said, “We stand in front of something I wish existed in every city in this country, something our children must visit and teachers should facilitate from now into forever.”

The opening of the museum was the culmination of a project Ambrose started 15 years ago and has evolved into a $25-million, 70,500-square-foot showcase of artifacts combined with oral histories, posters, props, videos and animation.