Schroeder Reached Utah Before H-Hour

Captain Leonard Treherne "Max" Schroeder Jr. became the first American soldier to come ashore from a landing craft during the D-Day invasion. At 6:28 a.m., two minutes ahead of H-Hour, his boat reached Utah Beach, and he waded the final 100 yards through waist-high water under enemy fire. Half of his company became casualties, and Schroeder was shot twice in the left arm but survived. He earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart during World War II and died in 2009 at the age of 90.

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