Virginia Guard D-Day veteran laid to rest in Charlottesville 150707-Z-SM601-644

Past and present members of the Virginia Army National Guard join family, friends and Charlottesville community members July 7, 2015, in paying final respects to local war hero and D-Day veteran Carl Douglas Proffitt, Jr. in Charlottesville, Va. Proffitt, known to all who knew him as “Chubby,” joined the Virginia National Guard in 1939 and was later called to active duty in 1941 with Company K of the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. On June 6, 1944, Proffitt led his men across the fire-swept Omaha Beach and later climbed atop a damaged tank under heavy machine gun fire to aid in locating and destroying an enemy machine gun nest. For his actions on and after D-Day, Proffitt received a battlefield commission to second lieutenant, three Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, a Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross, the military’s second-highest honor. He was also awarded the French Legion of Honor in 2012, France's highest military honor equivalent to the Medal of Honor. The funeral service for Proffitt was held at Cherry Avenue Christian Church and he was laid to rest at the Monticello Memory Gardens following military honors and Masonic Rites. (Photo by Sgt. 1st

Date

2015-07-07

Photographer / author

Sgt. 1st Class Terra Gatti

Archive

Wikimedia Commons

Type

photograph

Original size

4,928 × 3,264 pixels

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