World War II veteran Carl Beck always reminded people that freedom is not free.
The decorated paratrooper shared that message with school, civic and military groups he spoke to about his war experiences.
Beck parachuted into Normandy on June 6, 1944, and again in 1994 and 2004 for 50th and 60th anniversaries of the D-Day invasion.
Beck was admired for his kind spirit and his passion for preserving World War II history for future generations.
“He believed in the old notion that if you don’t study history, we are doomed to repeat it,” said friend and former Army Airborne Ranger Christian O. Stevens of Canton. “He cared for others, and he never wanted anyone to forget the sacrifices of veterans. He was a true American hero.”
Beck of Atlanta died Sunday of complications from a fall on June 6 in Florida, where he was celebrating the 71st anniversary of D-Day. He was 89.
Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Friday followed by his funeral at noon at Clairmont Presbyterian Church in Decatur, and burial with full military honors at 1:30 p.m. at Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Tucker.
Born on Nov. 21, 1925, in Avondale, Mo., Beck spent some of his early years living in a boxcar during the Great Depression.
He joined the Army in 1942. After completing basic training at Camp Toccoa in North Georgia, he went to parachute school for a year.
In January 1944, he was sent to Europe with H Company, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He fought in France, the Netherlands and Belgium, including Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.
Beck left the Army after the war but didn’t like civilian life. He re-enlisted and served in the Korean War. His last assignment was as an Army ROTC instructor at Wofford College in South Carolina.
For his service, Beck received the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, commendation medals, and a presidential unit citation. He also was awarded the Dutch Order of Wilhelms, the Belgian Forreguerre, the French Croix de Guerre and the French Legion of Honor.
After retiring as a master sergeant in 1963, he moved to Atlanta where he met and married beautician Virginia Gaston, who died in 1993. He worked as a traffic engineer for the City of Atlanta until retirement and then as a night security guard at Agnes Scott College.
Known for his humor and compassion, Beck lived, slept and breathed World War II history, friends said. He participated in parades and commemorations and regularly returned to Normandy to lead tours.
One of his favorite outreach activities was regaling schoolchildren with his war stories, dressed in his paratrooper uniform complete with jump boots.
“Carl’s identity was so tied into his experience in World War II and service in the military,” said Tom Beaty, managing director and founder of the Witness to War Foundation. “People learned so much from him. We are so appreciative to him for sharing his stories with us.”
From 1997-1998, Beck was commander of the Atlanta World War II Round Table, an organization that meets monthly to hear and record oral history accounts of combat veterans.
“The thing that stood out was that he was not bitter about the war,” said John Davis of Atlanta, a former Round Table commander and historian. “He was a great guy and a caring person. He had a fascinating life.”
Stevens and Beck met in 1993 at a skydiving school, where Beck was training for his second Normandy jump. The two men hit it off.
“Here was this older guy sitting alone with these 20-somethings. Then I found out he was there training to jump for 50th anniversary of D-Day,” Stevens said. “I wanted to grow up and be just like him.”
For Beck, who had no children, Stevens became the grandson he never had. In June, Stevens took his “surrogate granddad” to Amelia Island where he performed a D-Day commemorative jump in Beck’s honor.
“He was impressed. He whooped it up,” said Stevens, who also is executor of Beck’s estate. “Even though he had dementia, he was still a hard charger.”
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