A World War II veteran in Tennessee brought a Grand Ole Opry audience to their feet for a standing ovation – but not because he was performing.
99-year-old Bill Allen, a Murfreesboro, Tennessee native, was honored as part of the Grand Ole Opry’s 99th birthday celebration earlier this month. Allen was a 19-year-old medic in the Navy on D-Day.
His ship was anchored off the shore of Omaha Beach when it hit a mine and was split in half. Allen was able to jump onto a raft where he pulled four others, two who were critically wounded, out of the water. Only 28 of the 145 crew members survived.
As part of the Opry’s birthday celebration, Humana, along with Growing Bolder, recognized older adults with a special exhibit: The New 65+ and Allen served as the special guest and was recognized on stage during the Opry show, which included performances by The Gatlin Brothers and Katharine McPhee.
In June 2024 – to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day – Allen was honored for his bravery at the Nashville Sounds game.
“Our freedom is the highest-priced thing this nation has ever bought,” Allen said in June. “I saw foot soldiers with those heavy packs go down that ramp, lose their footing, then drown right there at the end. I saw other foot soldiers made it down to the ramp, wade in the water, got to the beach, step on a landmine. Life was over.”
Despite it all, Allen remains humble and honored to have served.
“He doesn’t consider himself a hero,” Allen’s daughter Patti Hutchinson told News Channel 5 Nashville. “He thinks that the heroes are still back at the American Cemetery.”