Brownsville native and WWII veteran returns to Normandy 79 years later
Courtesy of Matthew Grimes
Brownsville native Andy Negra prepares to go on a Delta Airlines flight from his home in Georgia to France in early June for the 79th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
Courtesy of Best Defense Foundation
Brownsville native and WWII veteran Andy Negra meets with a four-star general of the 82nd Airborne Division in Normandy during the D-Day commemorative events.
Brownsville native and WWII veteran Andy Negra signs personalized biography cards to hand out to the local people attending the D-Day commemorative events in France last month. He was one of 42 veterans visiting the battlefield site and other locations.
Brownsville native and WWII veteran Andy Negra poses for a photo on Utah Beach in Normandy where he landed in the summer of 1944.
At 99 years of age, Andy Negra said his philosophy on life is first, to take care of yourself and, second, to have a positive attitude.
“Think good thoughts wherever you go,” he said. “If you have a problem, solve it; if you can’t, treat it like a puddle of water: Go through it, jump over it or walk around it and keep going.”
It was that philosophy that took the World War II veteran to Normandy – for the second time.
Born and raised in Brownsville, Negra was 19 years old when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943, serving in the 128th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 6th Armored Division, known as The Super Sixth.
His role was in a survey section reconnaissance unit, which he said involved identifying enemy targets like tanks, and providing information about where to fire at the targets. His unit landed on Utah Beach in Normandy on July 18, 1944, fighting in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, and was involved in the Battle of the Bulge and liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp, to name a few.
He was honorably discharged in 1945 after serving 29 months in the Army, reaching the rank of sergeant.
Earlier this year, Negra received a phone call from a friend in Florida, asking if he wanted to go back to France.
“I said, ‘What are you talking about?'”
At first, Negra hesitated to take the trip, but fell back on his philosophy, and decided to go.
“I thought about it and said to myself all these World War II guys are old in age and have a lot of troubles like I do. They’re 90 years old, up to over 100, and if they can make the trip, why can’t I?”
Along with over 42 other World War II veterans, Negra returned to Normandy in June to mark the 79th anniversary of D-Day, the invasion that led to the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi control.
The all-expense-paid trip was through the Best Defense Foundation, which gives veterans a chance to revisit their battle sites, with support from Delta Airlines and Michelin Tires.
Once in France, the veterans were recognized and celebrated during many other commemorations and events in the cities of Deauville, Hérouville-Saint-Clair, Carentan, Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Bayeux, Ver-sur-Mer and Caen. During their stay, the group visited local museums, interacted with French students in a local school and connected with WWII British veterans.
The group arrived in France on June 1 and spent a week participating in ceremonies, visiting Omaha Beach, seeing the cemeteries of France, meeting many dignitaries as well as schoolchildren. He was especially pleased with how the French people treated their history, with children taught at a very young age about WWII, and to appreciate the sacrifices made for their freedom. It’s something he would like to see more of in the United States.
“There should be parades, big occasions and celebrations for June 7 like they do in France,” Negra said.
He also got to see over 20,000 people cheering for the veterans while celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of Normandy on June 7, sat on a platform to watch multiple parachuters perform for them in the sky, visited a 1,000-year-old monastery, and met four-star and three-star generals. He said the group was escorted around, having their needs met like true celebrities as the people of France treated and greeted them.
“It’s something that I’ll never forget,” Negra said. “It was quite an exciting trip for a guy after 79 years since being in France.”
The trip was so unforgettable that Negra plans to go again next year. The trip will hit about one week after his 100th birthday on May 28.
“I’m looking forward to that,” Negra said. “I’ll celebrate my birthday with France.”
Until then, Negra will continue on about his life in his adopted home state of Georgia, where he moved after marrying his wife, Viola, following his discharge from the Army. He still drives, has 20/20 vision and golfs, even though he can’t hit the ball quite as far as he used to.
Despite missing Viola, who passed away in 2017, Negra said he follows his two-step philosophy, and enjoys each and every day.
“God only gave you one day at a time; there’s no promise for tomorrow,” he said. “Make the best of every day.”