ARTIST- RON SALAS

Photography- Color

I was born in Glendale, California, raised in Pueblo, Colorado and graduated high school in 1976. Three weeks after graduation, I started active service in the US Army and served with the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. I was an Infantryman/Paratrooper from 1976 to 1979. After an honorable discharge, I returned home to Pueblo and started my career as a law enforcement officer.

In 2018, I became aware of an organization named "Daks over Normandy" that was going to sponsor a 75th anniversary jump into Normandy France. The jump was to take place on June 5, 2019. There were many pre-requisites to the jump, and one of them was jump training in Florida. Mind you, I hadn't jumped from a moving aircraft in nearly 40 years and was a bit apprehensive. So, I along with many other older veterans from different parts of the world, completed the pre-requisites and made the trip to Europe.

On June 5, 2019, several of us veteran paratroopers boarded C-47 aircraft at Duxfield Airfield, UK. We crossed the English Channel and flew towards France. The jump was made into Sannerville, Normandy France. After a successful landing in a wheat field, a spectator took the displayed photograph of my brother Robert (who had also served with the 82nd Airborne Division) and I in celebration of this memorable event.

FOR EXHIBIT ONLY- NOT FOR SALE