Strom Thurmond: Judge joined the Army after Pearl Harbor and landed in France on D-Day. SPECIAL

The next day, he turned in his judge's robe and volunteered to fight for his country.

"Although it has been many years since I last wore an Army uniform, my love for the service and pride in its heritage remain as strong today as it was when I was commissioned a second lieutenant," Mr. Thurmond told The Augusta Chronicle in a statement Wednesday.

As part of the 82nd Airborne Division, then-Lt. Col. Thurmond landed in a glider with other Allied forces on D-Day in 1944, helping to capture the city of Ste. Mere-Eglise from German forces.

He was a part of Operation Elmira, a glider mission over enemy lines to reinforce troops who came in on parachutes.

Adelbert Sahlberg, who compiled memoirs of soldiers on the Elmira mission, watched as part of Mr. Thurmond's 375th Glider Infantry Regiment took off from Greenham Commons air base in England.

A glider could hold nine soldiers and a jeep, Mr. Sahlberg said. Each was towed into the air by a two-engine plane, then cut loose to glide soldiers to the ground. Almost all of the gliders, including Mr. Thurmond's, crash-landed.

Despite crash injuries, Mr. Thurmond pressed on with the other troops. Four days later he was photographed driving a captured German vehicle.

Mr. Thurmond stayed in Europe until Germany's surrender and was one of the first Americans to liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp.

He was awarded the Purple Heart for his injuries in the crash. He earned the Bronze Star for Valor and five battle stars for his World War II service, among other awards and decorations achieved during his active duty.

He retired from the Army reserve in 1965 with the rank of major general.

Last year on this day, Mr. Thurmond attended the dedication of the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va. He will turn 100 this year.

"As I think about the sacrifices being made today by a new generation, I continue to remember the great effort and sacrifice made by so many young lives at Normandy," he said.

Reach Renee Petrina at (706) 724-0851.