HAYDEN - Gerry and Bobbie Lord don't have to look far to be reminded about today's 70th anniversary of D-Day.

Bobbie's late father, Bob Harwick, served during the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II and the largest seaborne attack in history.

Harwick, a member of the Army's 101st Airborne Division - the "Screaming Eagles" - confiscated several war treasures from infamous Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler and his military leader Hermann Goering that the Lords keep and reminisce about.

The relics include:

* A letter Harwick wrote to home at the end of the war on Hitler's stationary

Orchestra statues that Goering's wife gave Harwick to make sure their daughter wasn't harmed

* A cup made of silver coins with engravings of where and when Harwick and the 506th Parachute Infantry served

A silver tea set and silver bucket of Goering's.

"The items were from Hitler's Eagle's Nest," Gerry said.

The Eagle's Nest is a chalet-style structure above Berchtesgaden. It was intended as a 50th birthday gift for Hitler, to serve as a retreat for entertaining dignitaries.

In the letter, dated May 9, 1945, on Hitler's "Der Fuhrer" stationary, Harwick expressed relief that the war had ended.

"This morning, at one minute past midnight, the war came to an end," he wrote. "It is fitting that the 101st Airborne should receive the surrender of field marshal (Albert) Kesselring here at the heart of the Nazi party.

"I send you all my love and hope with all my heart to be with you once again. With victory, I am suddenly very tired, very conscious of missing friends and very anxious to be home."

During D-Day, Harwick and other paratroopers went into Holland behind enemy lines to soften the German forces. Although it was promised it would be in battle for three days, the 506th didn't return to England for 33 days. The 506th later also fought in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.

The anniversary of D-Day has always been bittersweet, Bobbie said.

"There's mixed emotions," she said with her voice quivering. "Daddy would be 102 today if he had lived."

Harwick, who became a major in the Army, died of a heart attack in 1960 at 48.

Bobbie is comforted that the service of the 101st Airborne Division continues to be honored and respected. It was recognized in the 2001 HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers" presented by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

Harwick was a prisoner of war in June 1944, but escaped when an Allied airplane flew overhead and caused the Germans to scatter during a march.

Harwick also received two Purple Hearts for being wounded in action.

During the Battle of Bastogne, which was part of the larger Battle of the Bulge, he was struck in the stomach with wood from a tree that had exploded.

"Fortunately, he fell in the snow, which stopped the bleeding," Gerry said.

He was also injured by a bullet to the leg during a patrol.

Harwick's memorabilia, including his Purple Hearts and other honors, amazingly came home to Bobbie decades later.

Bobbie's late mother, Eileen, had gotten rid of Harwick's Purple Hearts and other medals, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star and American Defense Service Medal.

However, a nurse who served during World War II secured new ones from the 101st Airborne to get them into Bobbie's hands.

"She was a real blessing," Bobbie said of the nurse.

When Bobbie's cousins recently visited Holland, they were presented with Harwick's set of captain's bars that he had given to a 12-year-old boy in Holland during the war. That boy, now in his 80s, finally connected with the family to return the bars.

"The man had the bars sitting on his coffee table for 70 years," Bobbie said. "The farm where the man lived was used as an officer headquarters during the war and he was impressed by it."

Bobbie said receiving the bars "sent chills down my back."

"How does that happen?" she asked. "It's almost like Daddy still lives."

Bobbie's cousins are attending D-Day anniversary events at Normandy this week and sending photos to the Lords. More pieces trickle in about the service of Harwick, appreciated because Bobbie didn't gather much information from growing up.

"My big thing was asking him as a young girl was if he'd killed any Germans," she said.

The Lords say that memorabilia from Harwick's service will likely be donated to a war museum to share with others someday.

Today, 70 years after Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, marks another chapter in Bobbie's quest to learn more about her father's decorated service.

"There's so much that we still don't know," she said. "I wish Daddy was still here so that we could learn more about what went on. My father was a gentle, kind man - you would have never thought of him being in the war - but what he went through was amazing."