Leonard T. Schroeder Jr. holds a unique place in history as the first Allied soldier to set foot on Normandy during D-Day. Leading Infantry Rifle Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, his landing craft was among the very first to reach Utah Beach, where he led his men, under heavy enemy fire, ashore. Prior to the United States entering World War II, Schroeder trained soldiers in the 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division at Camp Gordon, Georgia.