While most teenagers have posters of rock stars or hit movies on their bedroom walls, Landon has a map of the D-Day invasion. In third grade, he started learning about the U.S. presidents and dressed up like Abe Lincoln, his favorite. For his ninth birthday, he memorized the capital cities of each U.S. state and their locations. He likes learning about U.S. wars and knows the names of the battles, countries, and historical figures involved.

His personal history has also been fraught with hardships. Landon was born without a left ventricle, and he had his first heart surgery at just six days old. He had another surgery at six months old, and a third two years after that one.

Despite his condition, Landon is doing well medically. He’ll take medicine for the rest of his life, but the future is bright for Landon, who’ll be graduating high school in a few short years. He told us that he hopes to be a history teacher one day, and it was his wish that cemented his career choice.

Landon went to France to see the five D-Day beaches, the nearby villages, and the Liberation of Paris Museum. He traveled to Normandy with his mother and his grandfather, who also shares his love of history.

They stayed in a chateau owned by Make-A-Wish® volunteers, a former British Royal Marine and his wife who have hosted over 19 wish families over the years. The couple are both history buffs, and Landon enjoyed talking with them about local and world history.

His favorite part of his trip was seeing the D-Day beaches. At one, he climbed into an old landing craft and examined some Czech Hedgehog anti-tank devices that still litter the area.

He climbed inside the tiny German bunkers that were erected to repel the Allied invasion. “I couldn’t believe how small the bunkers were. The Germans were short,” Landon told us.

He went to the cemetery where they buried the American soldiers who died during the invasion and listened while trumpeters played “Taps” like they do every day at 4 p.m.

While the beaches were the highlight of the trip, he ended up liking Paris more than he thought he would. He carried around historical photographs and would line them up with the modern landmarks. He ate at a restaurant beneath the Eiffel Tower and went on a river cruise on the Seine. He saw Napoleon’s tomb, the World War I Memorial, and the Charles De Gaulle Memorial.

Landon bought an authentic U.S. Army helmet from a collector’s shop and learned the name of the soldier who owned it and his fate: The soldier was promoted to squad leader when his commanding officer fell and was later wounded himself before being sent back to the U.S.

Landon kept everything he could from his trip. He has four scrapbooks with over 500 photographs, all his receipts, buttons, and maps. He said that he was glad he wished big and saw Normandy, something he believed he wouldn’t be able to do until he retired.

His grandfather said that although he loved history, too, the best part of the trip was seeing the awe and joy in Landon’s eyes.