Three Purple Hearts.
Then came World War II, and he enlisted in the Army. His combat experiences were harrowing. He was in the first wave of troops to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day and his unit’s lone survivor of a machine-gun ambush. In Belgium he was stabbed in hand-to-hand combat with a German soldier, whom he bludgeoned to death with a rock. Fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, he and the rest of his company were captured and forced to march through a pine forest at Malmedy, the scene of an infamous massacre in which the Germans opened fire on almost 90 prisoners. Mr. Durning was among the few to escape.
By the war’s end he had been awarded a Silver Star for valor and three Purple Hearts, having suffered gunshot and shrapnel wounds as well. He spent months in hospitals and was treated for psychological trauma.
Wow—what a hero. RIP sir. My grandfather’s brother was killed at the Battle of the Bulge. Merry Christmas all.
An authentic American hero. I always enjoyed his participation in the Memorial Day event on the Mall.
WOW!
Hand Salute
Catching up after the holidays, and just now reading your post. Thank you for the link to Durning’s NYT obit, and your overview of the Malmedy massacre. The story of his war experiences in the Times bio made me weep for his pain, and that of our heroic troops, then and now.
I adored Durning as an actor, but had never known of his harrowing time in the war until his obits have appeared. I note that, back when there was less understanding of PTSD, it took him until he was almost 50 to get over his and start really succeeding as an actor.
There is so much to be done for our current veterans.
Thanks again, and happy new year to you!