Eighty years ago this month, the allied forces of World War II conducted the largest amphibious invasion in the history of mankind. Known then as Operation Overlord, and today immortalized as D-Day, it comprised three separate assaults on the beaches of Normandy, France.

To the east, British and Canadian forces landed on Juno, Gold and Sword beaches. To the west, U.S. forces took Omaha and Utah beaches. The first wave of troops was pinned down for six hours by German bunkers on the cliffs, eventually fighting their way up and dismantling the bunkers so that naval destroyers could provide cover for larger landing craft. Over 24,000 troops took part in the operation, and counted among them were IBEW members.

Here are some of their stories:

In May 1944, Richard Gallagher of New York Local 3 left his job at Consolidated Fire Alarm Co. to join the Army. On June 6, he was landing on Omaha Beach with the rank of sergeant. When his company was pinned down by a machine gun nest, Gallagher took it upon himself to run through a mine field and up an embankment to the nest, which he neutralized with a grenade and rifle. He then returned to the beach to lead his company through the mine field. When the men were settled on the shore, Gallagher again proceeded alone to the top of a hill, where he captured yet another machine nest, as well as a sniper hiding in the trees. For his actions that day, the Army awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross.

Robert Noone was an apprentice at Washington, D.C., Local 26 before joining the U.S. Navy. At midnight on June 5, 1944, he crossed the English Channel onboard the mine sweeper Raven as part of an advance guard. Along the way, sister ship Osprey sank after striking a mine, forcing another ship to drop back for survivors. The Raven sailed on to Omaha Beach to begin its sweep. They continued for three hours until the landing craft began to arrive. "From the horizon toward England came ships and more ships — the most ships I've ever seen," Noone said in the June 1949 Electrical Worker. "We continued sweeping the channel for another seven days. Not much sleep for us, but still a much better deal than the soldiers had ashore."

Henry and Thomas Bowles were not only twin brothers but IBEW brothers as well. On the morning of June 6, they both found themselves on the shores of Omaha Beach. "It was littered with German obstacles. Barbed wire, dead bodies floating in the water, and a storm of fire coming from German pillboxes," wrote Thomas for the August 1995 Electrical Worker. During the assault, his electrical skills proved vital when he repaired communication lines, while under fire, that were severed by enemy artillery. The Army awarded him the Bronze Star for his actions. Thomas was a member of Lake Charles, La., Local 861, and Henry was out of Sheffield, Ala., Local 558.

Joseph Clements Jr. of Elmira, N.Y., Local 139 also participated in the landing at Omaha Beach. He served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946.

These men were among the nearly 30,000 members of the IBEW who served in the armed forces during World War II. But the entire union played a key role.

A month after the successful landing, A.L. Wegener, assistant to IBEW President Ed Brown, visited the front lines in France. He was part of a delegation of AFL and CIO leaders sent to the western front under the auspices of the U.S. Army. During their tour, they consulted with Gen. Dwight Eisenhower about American manufacturing and its vital importance to continued military success.

"The things most urgently needed right now, aside from weapons, are walkie-talkie machines, communication wire, heavy construction equipment and cotton duck for tents," said Wegener in the October 1944 Electrical Worker, a message uniquely suited for our members back home. "It is imperative for the men and women on the production line to put every ounce of energy behind the production of these critical items."

Whether it was on the front lines or the home front, IBEW members played an important part in delivering victory for our country, our allies and democracy worldwide.