On a quiet Andover street, the firefighters arrived right on time, Thursday afternoon.

But they weren’t responding to an emergency call — instead, it was a surprise visit to honor D-Day veteran Stan Nelson.

“I was really thankful I was able to serve my country,” he says. “That’s a big thing.”  

Nelson, 103 years old, was a U.S. Navy ensign on that fateful day.

He was assigned to an LCI — short for Landing Craft Infantry — heading to Omaha Beach.

“They carried 250 soldiers into the beach at a time,” Nelson recalls. “We were one of the first shifts to hit the beach.”

He says he and his crew transported 8,000 soldiers that day, facing withering fire from German artillery and machine gun emplacements.

“There was a lot of excitement going on, a lot of shooting,” Nelson says. “There was the Air Force, they missed their target and bombed inland too far, so all the artillery the Germans had was still intact.”

“His ship would hit the beach and a couple of ramps would go down and the soldiers would run onto the beach to the battle,” Nelson’s son Dave adds. “Then his job was to back up with a winch and an anchor and go back and get the next group of soldiers.”

Nelson believes he may be the last surviving member of his LCI crew.

After the war, he came home to Minnesota and is best known for 26 years of coaching football at Anoka High School.

“I’d known Stan for many years coaching football, but I didn’t know about this,” declares Chuck Day, a coach himself, and an Andover firefighter. “It’s unimaginable and it’s impossible to put into words how humbling it is to be talking to him today.”

Day says he connected with a Nelson family friend to engineer this surprise visit — to honor a hero from the greatest generation.

“It’s amazing that not more people have heard about him in this area, because his story is so important to capture,” he notes. “And we’re grateful to be here.”

In a corner of Nelson’s living room are mementos from the war years — including photographs and a trio of U.S. Navy ballcaps.

On a table, there’s a pile of more than 200 letters from neighbors, family, and friends, thanking him for his service.

“History is very important, and I think all of this has to be remembered,” explains Cheryl King, Nelson’s daughter. “It brings back memories to him, but it has to be told.”

“Really proud of him,” Dave adds. “He doesn’t see himself as a hero, but we do — and I think what they did changed the world.”   

The younger Nelson recently visited Normandy with his wife — to see in person, where his father served.

“Very moving, yeah — just to be where he landed,” Dave says. “We were right on Omaha Beach, and we hired a guy who took us right to the spot.”

Nelson’s family says he doesn’t talk about the war much and he’s turned down offers to return to Omaha Beach.

“I’ve already been there,” he says.

But this 103-year-old veteran of World War II says he’s grateful to be alive on this 80th anniversary of D-Day.

“That’s the biggest thing as far as I’m concerned, that we were able to defend our country and come out on top,” Nelson says. “It amazes me that so many people that still honor all of the veterans, and that’s a good sign that America is still America.”