In 1940, Walter Ehlers and his brother Roland (Left next pic) had enlisted in the Army and both quickly found themselves serving in the same combat unit, taking part in invasions of Africa and Italy.
The day before the Normandy invasion, their military superiors separated them to improve the odds that at least one would survive.
As the Allied boats arrived under heavy German fire off of Omaha Beach, Ehlers led his group of soldiers onto the sand while his brother was arriving on a different boat.
SSG Ehlers was able to get all of his men off of the beach unscathed.
“I got all 12 of my men off the beach without a casualty, which was the best thing I ever did in my life."
On June 9th, he single-handedly knocked out 2 MG nests, wiped out a mortar crew and rescued a wounded BAR man under fire, all with a bullet lodged in his back.
For his actions and bravery, SSG. Ehlers was awarded the Medal of Honor. More then a month later after D-Day, he learned that his brother Roland was killed on Omaha Beach when a mortar round struck the landing craft.
After the war, Walter never talked about the war. He went on to work for the VA and as a security guard in Disneyland.
He passed away at the age of 92.
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