D-Day Veteran of the 101st Airborne, Jim 'Pee Wee' Martin, Dies at 101

On June 6, 1944, James Martin was among the first Allied paratroopers to jump into Normandy with the 101st Airborne, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. At 19 years old, he had trained for that moment since joining the Army in 1942. His unit's objective was to capture two bridges and keep the Germans from sending reinforcements to the beaches.

He told the Dayton Daily News in 2014 that his main goal after the war, should he survive, was to find a plot of land, settle down and live a quiet life. When he came home, he found that plot of land in Sugarcreek Township, Ohio. He died there on Sunday, according to the Daily News, after living the quiet life he promised himself.