Captain Simonds was the S-3 going into Normandy and Captain Graham was Hq Co 2^nd Bn Commander.   On July 6, 1944 Hq Co 2^nd Bn of the 508^th Prcht Inf was about to resume the attack.  Captain Graham and Captain Simonds were about to lead Co D and Co F into battle.  Captain Graham said let’s flip a coin to see who gets which Company.  Captain Simonds picked heads and won.  Simonds picked Co D and Graham would lead Co F. 

Graham said within 5 minutes a runner came up to him and said that Captain Simonds had been hit.  Graham ran to Simonds side and knelt down to hear him.  Simonds said that a mortar round got him in the back.  Within a few seconds Graham saw that Simonds had died.  He said Simonds look like it had been hit by a rake all down his back.

Captain Chet Graham was good friends with Captain George Bill Simonds and never forgot what happened that day on Hill .