WEATHERFORD, Texas — Seventy-five-years-ago, Pvt. Buck Sloan fought side by side with Cpl. Homer Cox.
They were both part of the 2nd Infantry Division but in different regiments.
D-Day was June 6, 1944. One day later, Sloan and Homer landed on the beaches of Normandy. They fought for 11 months.
Cox is now 101 years old, and Sloan 95. Time hasn't faded their memories.
"Oh, the weather was pretty awful," Cox said as he sat with Homer and talked about the day they landed on the beach. "Yeah, I almost lost one of my toes."
He said when they arrived, it was a cold, bloody mess.
"I thank the Lord for making it through," Sloan said as he recalled bullets flying nonstop.
The soldiers saved families from the Nazi regime.
Born in Belgium, Bob Sparenberg was just a child when D-Day happened. He credits veterans like Cox and Sloan for saving his life.
"If it wasn't for the sacrifice they made, people like me – that were born in Europe and our families went through four years of Nazi occupation – we would not be here," Sparenberg said as he sat next to Cox.
But for Cox, it's a time he doesn't frequently look back on.
"I don't talk about it," he said. "I don't care to talk about it."
But Thursday, Cox recalled his time at the Battle of the Buldge. He also talked about May 8, 1945, as they liberated cities one by one. He remembers the moment the war was finally over.
Sloan said he's always proud to share his story of D-Day when anyone asks. He believes people should understand what happened.
"He got five battle stars and I got five battle stars," he said. "It's hard to talk about it, but somebody's got to talk about it."