Orangeburg, South Carolina
On June 6, 1944, Theolus Wells – everyone called him “B” – shared a foxhole on Utah Beach that was so deep, Wells could barely haul all six-foot-two-inches of himself out of it. During his time in Britain training for the invasion, Wells had sometimes been mistaken for the heavyweight champ Joe Louis. On the morning of D-Day, Wells, age 21, said he “didn’t have enough sense to be scared.” He watched as a plane was hit by fire and the pilot jumped. “I’m an American!” the flyer yelled repeatedly as he parachuted to the beach. He died on July 16, 2018.
Theolus Wells, known as “B”, said he was too young to have enough sense to be scared on Utah Beach. He landed on D-Day.
Theolus Wells at home in 2011.
Photo: Linda Hervieux