Meeting with veterans William “Magic Bill” Hunter and Eugène “Gene” Kleindl

25 October 2023 at 5pm, at the Normandy Victory Museum

Thanks to a generous gesture, at the end of 2023, the Normandy Victory Museum had the pleasure and honour of welcoming veterans William “Magic Bill” Hunter and Eugène “Gene” Kleindl.

The two men were in France for several days with family members to walk the beaches of Normandy and pay tribute to their brothers in arms. A memorial trip that took them as far as Bastogne in Belgium.

The program

Where? Greenfield room

How much? Free event, without reservation, within the limit of available places

Ambassador advantage: reserved seats in the front row (find out more about the ambassador programme).

A few words about our beloved veterans

Eugene “Gene” Kleindl

Eugène was born in Minnesota in 1922 and turned 101 this year. In 1944, he was Combat Medic with the 358th Medical Detachment, 90th Infantry Division, and landed on 8 June in Normandy. Florent Plana met him and photographed him a few years ago for the “Portraits of Veterans” exhibition currently on show at the museum. Florent will accompany him on this moving journey.

William ‘Magic” Hunter

William was born in 1923 and turned 100 this year. He was in the US Navy and fought in the Pacific. He wanted to come to Normandy to follow in the footsteps of his brothers in arms.

Back to a moving moment

Over 120 people were on hand to meet and pay tribute to Eugène Kleindl and William Hunter. It was an emotionally-charged gathering, during which participants listened to the stories of these two veterans. We were also honoured by the presence of another exceptional guest: Jean Turcot, 105, veteran of the French campaign. He too will be back to share his story.

Many thanks to the numerous participants, to these great gentlemen and to our partner and friend Florent Plana, who initiated this event.

The memory album

… upcoming events