With a massive, violent battle, 75 years ago, the slow march to victory began for the Allies in World War II. D-Day laid the foundation for defeating Germany.

More than 4,400 allied troops died that day, including an Auburn native.

Not long after the United States entered World War II, Auburn native Leo Indelicato enlisted in the Army with his brother, Sam. They were part of the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion — one of the first Americans on French shores during the D-Day invasions. About a third of the battalion was killed, missing or wounded.

In all, 63 men from Auburn were a part of the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion.

"Leo was 19 when he went on the shore at Utah Beach,” said Caitlin Goodwin, a McGraw social studies teacher. “It was their job to get on beach first and break up the obstacles, so he perished almost immediately."

"They told his mother that he was there when Leo passed, and he didn't suffer or anything,” said Abbey Augur, a sophomore at McGraw High School. “That was very nice, I thought."

Abbey is honoring Leo's sacrifice. She is one of 13 students across the country chosen for the Albert H. Small Normandy Institute. Later this month, she will eulogize Leo at his gravesite in Normandy.

"He wasn't like super popular or anything, but he was a nice kid,” Abbey said. “Anybody who knew him knew he was sweet and very kind. He loved playing baseball. He played with his brother all the time."

In Auburn, the Indelicato family still owns a meat market. Decades ago, Sam returned from the war without his brother and began working there. His family still feels the void.

"I mean I wish I got to know him, obviously,” said Bryan Indelicato, Leo’s great nephew. “More people need to remember this stuff. I think it’s kind of becoming forgotten and that kind of scares me coming from a family that knows all about it, obviously."

The Indelicato family is glad Leo will be honored and the current generation continues to learn of the sacrifices he and thousands of others made generations ago.

"This could have been your dad or your uncle that was going over at this time and they might not have made it back,” said Augur. “I don't think a lot of students realize how much that actually impacted everybody back in the day and how much we went through to get where we are now."