SANDY — Ahead of the 82nd anniversary of D-Day on Saturday, a researcher was hoping others would remember the five Utah soldiers killed on June 6, 1944, during the Allied invasion of Normandy.
Honoring Utah's fallen soldiers
Camille Noel said the stories of the five men — which she refers to as Utah’s ‘D-Day Five’ — have been largely forgotten, including that of Private Melvin C. Cowdell, whose remains now rest at the Sandy City Cemetery.
“Melvin was a member of the 16th Infantry (Regiment) of the 1st Infantry Division,” said Noel as she stood by Cowdell’s headstone on Friday afternoon. “His unit stormed Omaha Beach.”
Details of individual casualties
According to the researcher, Private Oscar E. Cleaveland of the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion was also killed on Omaha Beach, likely shortly after landing under heavy fire.
Flight Officer Verl R. Nelson, she said, was shot down while flying paratroopers into Normandy.
Private Byron L. Peterson of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division also died during the early hours of the invasion, Noel said.
Noel said Staff Sergeant Carl H. Yarrington of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82ndAirborne Division was killed while leading his men toward their command post.
Burial locations and family wishes
Yarrington is the only one of the five Utahns buried in France, while the others are buried in cemeteries around the state.
Noel said Yarrington’s parents wanted him buried where he fell.
“When you ask any person in Utah, ‘can you tell me about someone who died on D-Day from Utah,’ nobody is going to know,” Noel said. “I just don’t think that it’s fair that they made so many sacrifices and have been forgotten in return just because they died.”
Mission to preserve local history
The researcher has made it her personal mission to raise awareness about the men and to secure them more formal recognition in the state.
Personal inspiration for research
She said she initially grew passionate about the topic while taking a class in 2018 about the Normandy campaign and received an assignment to write a biography about a soldier from her hometown of Bountiful who is buried in Normandy.
She chose 2nd Lt. Jack Lundberg, who died on June 22, 1944.
“I researched Jack and he changed my life,” Noel said. “He was an incredible person.”
Noel said she hoped on this anniversary of D-Day that the ‘D-Day Five’ would be remembered.
“They all had lives, they were all people,” Noel said. “They’re important and they shouldn’t be forgotten.”
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