Ceremony for 80th anniversary of D-Day held at Camp Shanks Museum
Camp Shanks was the largest embarkation point for American troops during the war.
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Dozens of people attended an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Camp Shanks in Orangeburg on Thursday.
It’s said that 75% of American fighters on D-Day left from Camp Shanks.
"This mighty force that left here probably helped save the world a long time ago and for the brave soldiers that left here and never returned. They gave up their tomorrows for our today,” said Kevin O’Rourke with the Sons of American Legion in Pearl River.
Camp Shanks was the largest embarkation point for American troops during the war.
"They called it Last Stop USA,” said O’Rourke. “It was a city of 50,000 soldiers at any given time and within three years, [1.3 million] of them, set off to go fight the war in Europe."
A slice of Orangetown was a big piece of history.
"It was the beginning of the end of the German army,” said John Gray with the museum, reflecting on D-Day.
The museum is open to the public on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
