Omaha, Nebraska born Robert Reuben was 25 years old and witnessing combat for the first time in his life as a Reuters News correspondent during WWII. He parachuted with the U.S. Airborne during the Normandy invasion. He was the first journalist to land in Normandy and spent months writing articles about the U.S. soldiers fighting and dying in Europe. Nebraskan Barney Oldfield was one of General Eisenhower's public information officers who recruited and vetted a select group of war correspondents for the D-Day invasion. Oldfield had previously served with the U.S. Army Airborne and struck a deal with Reuben and five other war correspondents. If they could make it through Airborne Jump School and survive five practice parachute jumps they could skydive into Normandy with Airborne soldiers and be the first to report on the ground.