Private First Class Robert Earl Sechrist served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and pathfinder during World War II. As a Pathfinder, Secrist was one of the first men to parachute into France before the invasion of Normandy, tasked with guiding other Paratroopers to their landing zone.

As he landed in France, Sechrist’s parachute got stuck in a hedgerow, and he immediately started taking fire from the Germans. 

Editor’s Note: It’s unknown what rank Sechrist reached by retirement. All we know is that he was a Private First Class when he jumped into France on D-Day. 

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