Lakeland PBS
❤ Donate
  • Home
  • Support
  • Watch Now
    • Livestream
    • Local Shows
    • Watch Online
    • Schedule
    • Our Channels
    • Web Cam
  • Lakeland News
    • News Feed
    • Featured Segments
    • Watch a News Story
    • Watch a Sports Story
  • Shop
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • State Legacy Funding
    • Meetings & Public Filings
    • Education
    • Employment
  • ❤ DONATE

Local veteran remembers D-Day 70 years later

Lakeland PBS — Jun. 5 2014
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

June 6th 1944. D-Day. Local navy veteran Bob Uppgaard was 20 years old when he was ordered to go ashore on Omaha Beach 70 years ago.
Uppgaard says, “On D-Day my job was as a medic. My job was to crawl to each one of these wounded when they were hit and I was prepared only to give the morphine shot in his butt and say I’d be back and I’d write his name down and I came back later and we helped him on the way to the hospital ship.”
Uppgaard kept a journal during the invasion on rolls of toilet paper he found aboard his ship. He wrote down the names of the 12 men he cared for on the beach as well as his other duties as a mechanic during the construction of the world’s largest portable harbor. The Mulberry Harbor served as the avenue in which the Allies’ cargo, tanks and other supplies arrived on mainland Europe.
Uppgaard says, “The Seabees, that was their main project to build the Mulberries and then train the guys so that they knew that they go in like this and they got them into position and they dropped them down. It was an honor to be part of this Eisenhower invasion.”
Uppgaard says the officers informed them how important D-Day and their jobs were to winning the war. He was told to go anything that needed to be done and to listen to his orders. Uppgaard says his training is why he was able to make it home.
Uppgaard says, “We knew this had to happen. Each one of these stages were important. It was a learning process. And everything you had to be prepared because you knew your life was at stake at any moment. And I wasn’t afraid.”
70 years later Uppgaard still gets emotional thinking back to what he and his battalion did. And he says there’s nothing better than someone on the street come up to him to thank him for his service and share their family’s story with him.
Uppgaard says, “It’s nice to be appreciated.”

Lakeland News is member supported content. Please consider supporting Lakeland News today.

Donate Today
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Lakeland PBS

By — Lakeland PBS

Our mission to educate, entertain, enrich, and enlighten.

Related Posts

Bemidji Man Honors Local Veterans with Video Project

Brainerd Survivor of Bataan Death March Awarded Congressional Gold Medal

World War II Veteran in Bemidji Celebrates 98th Birthday With 98 Flags

Daughters of the American Revolution Cleaning Tombstones to Honor Veterans

  • Program Schedule

Get the free PBS Video App

roku
Apple TV
FireTV
AndroidTV
Google Play Store
Apple Store

Connect with Us

Watch Live News Casts

Contact Us

Directions
Submit an Event
Submit a Video or Photo
Problem with the Website
Need to contact us about something else? Please visit our contact us page for more options.

About Us

Lakeland PBS understands that the media people are exposed to make a significant impact on their lives. Our hope is that the six channels we broadcast along with our online presence provide people with media experiences that make a positive impact on their lives.

Lakeland PBS is where you want to be!

108 Grant Ave NE, Bemidji, MN 56601 | 800-292-0922
KAWE Public Profile | KAWB Public Profile | Cable Provider Channel List | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2021 Lakeland PBS. All Right Reserved.

How would you like to show your support?

Monthly Contribution

One-Time Contribution

Thank-You Gift

I would like to select a thank-you gift

No Gift

Put 100% of my gift towards programming

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.