World leaders pay a solemn tribute to veterans to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day
Judy Miller, Amos Snead and Ed Rollins reflect on importance of D-Day on the 75th anniversary.
In an appearance on "Shepard Smith Reporting," World War II Army Cpl. John McHugh on Thursday recalled his harrowing experience as one of thousands of troops storming the beaches of Normandy, describing what he witnessed as "hell on earth."
Marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the 95-year-old first-generation Irish-American told how he had to crawl to safety, armed with nothing but a pistol after the machine gun-holding soldier he'd been partnered with died.
"You can't really describe D-Day. You’re so, you’re petrified. You’re absolutely petrified,” McHugh said. “A guy falling over there, a guy falling over there. It’s hell. It’s just hell on earth. I can’t describe it any better. I don’t think anyone can really describe it. ... Needless to say, I had a bad day.”
McHugh told Fox News anchor Shepard Smith that he "just kept crawling" up the beach, targeted by armed enemies he could not see.
“And as you crawled along the beach, what were you seeing and hearing?” asked Smith.
“A lot of dead bodies,” McHugh answered. "A lot of dead bodies ... but you just keep going up. You gotta keep moving. But there were a lot of dead bodies."
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The decorated soldier said he was fortunate that his division had "a lot of veterans" since he was, as he described himself, a "rookie scared stiff" when they stormed Normandy.
After the war, McHugh married his childhood sweetheart, Rosie McGee, and had three children, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
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