Bill Belichick’s abiding, lifelong respect and admiration for military history will be illustrated this spring as he’s agreed to narrate a one-hour film titled, “D-Day: Over Normandy”.
The movie, produced by Rhode Island’s Tim Gray and set to air on PBS stations around the country. The film, according to a release, “is a unique production in that it relies primarily on only drone aerial shots of many of the important Allied objectives on June 6, 1944 as the liberation of western Europe got underway.”
“First and foremost, Bill Belichick has been an active supporter of the World War II Foundation since we produced the first of our films in 2006,” said Gray, Chairman of the foundation and producer, director and writer of 18 WWII documentary films to date. “Coach Belichick understands our mission because he is a student of military history and is very proud of the service of his own father Steve, who served in both Europe and the Pacific in World War II.”
Said Belichick, “Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, where my father coached football at the United States Naval Academy, I understand the importance of preserving the memory of those who served our nation during World War II,” Bill Belichick said. "Every day of my childhood, I was immersed in the tradition of the United States Navy. I was, and remain, inspired by their discipline, teamwork and courage, especially the sailors who fought on D-Day and in the Pacific theater, where the U.S. Pacific Fleet sacrificed so much for ultimate victory.
“The Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines made one heck of a team in World War II.”
Gray has won five regional Emmy Awards (Boston/New England and Washington, DC) for his work and three Indie International Film Fest awards, in addition to American Public Television’s National Programming Excellence Award.
Belichick’s admiration for Gray’s work came to light in December when, on the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Belichick spoke about the impact the Navy had on him and Gray’s efforts to remember and pass on the stories of WWII.