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Photo of Ike with paratrooper still fascinates after decades
Bill Hayes, then a Sears paint and wallpaper clerk in Wisconsin, recalls the moment General Dwight D. Eisenhower visited his unit the day before D-Day. Hayes, now 76 and living in Fargo, was center in the famous release photo, his face camouflaged for combat. Eisenhower asked if they were ready, joked with Hayes, and noted a hat factory worker back home. The image helped Hayes gain brief wartime fame as the 50th anniversary of the Normandy invasion nears.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bismarck
N.D
Bill Hayes
Sears
Wausau
Wis
Eisenhower
Hayes
Dwight D. Sieeuiewer
Europe
Fargo
502Nd Parachute Regiment
101St Airborne Division
Normandy
Ike