The late Col. Glover S. Johns Jr. was a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. He earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. Joseph Balkoski is a historian specializing in the history of D-Day and the Normandy campaign. He is the author of the widely acclaimed book Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy. He resided in Normandy during the summer of 2001 to study the D-Day beaches and Normandy battlefields, and he has conducted several "battlefield staff rides" there for current U.S. Army soldiers as part of their military training.
