COLUMBUS, Ind. -- At 92-years-old, Howard Bettner still reports to work at his family's wire coating shop in Columbus as he's been doing since 1946.
"I can't imagine sitting down in an old rocking chair and kicking back and dying. You got to keep going," said Bettner.
But before he started working at his family's business, he served in the Navy.
Bettner joined at age 17 and his father had to sign for him. He survived one of the bloodiest battles in World War II.
On June 6, 1944, D-Day, Bettner drove a landing craft onto Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion.
He made two trips that day into the line of fire, taking soldiers from an off shore ship onto the beach.
In the weeks ahead, Bettner made close to 40 additional trips to France, bringing the wounded back to safety.
Watch more of Howard's story below:
Howard Bettner's story is part of an exhibit called "Heroes from the Heartland" at the Indiana State Museum to honor Hoosier veterans and the state's military history.
The exhibit opens Wednesday, November 1 and runs through Saturday, November 11.
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