Posted on 06/05/2022 9:44:40 PM PDT by 11th_VA
Edited on 06/06/2022 9:52:37 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
RANVILLE, France (AP) — More than 20 British World War II veterans gathered Sunday near Pegasus Bridge in northwestern France, one of the first sites liberated by Allied forces from Nazi Germany, for commemorations honoring the nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the U.S., Canada and other nations who landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944.
(Excerpt) Read more at christianindex.org ...
Thanks for posting this.
The bravest generation
Happy D-Day FRee Republic!
I had the honor of knowing two D-Day vets. One served with the 1st. Infantry Division and was wounded.”Worst day of my life’’ he said. The other man served with the 29th. Infantry Division.
They both passed away some years ago.
There were giants in those days.
Apparently when the lights came on my Uncle's date asked what had happened to his uniform. His shirt was all pulled out and wrinkled with a couple buttons missing. Apparently during the movie as the fake war scenes played out he was anxiously grabbing at his shirt and twisting it. The war affected him a lot but when I spoke to him 50 years later and asked him about it he laughed and said it was long ago and changed the subject. I think it was hard for a lot of them to talk about it, understandably. But they put on a stiff upper lip and carried on with their lives. Amazing generation of Americans.
God bless your uncle. Most of the WW2 vets I knew, including some members of my family never said much about their combat experiences.
My Uncle Fred, who served with the 84th. Inf. Div. during The Battle of The Bulge talked a little bit about it. He was seriously wounded but made it home ok.
I never asked too much. I’ve NEVER once asked any veteran that stupid question “Did you ever kill anybody?’’
I wouldn’t dream of it.
I knew damn well they weren’t over there playing tag.
My father landed in one of the first waves at Utah (1st Special Engineering Brigade). His job was to clear mines and blow up obstacles. He said the landing was a little rough, but the Salerno landing was worse for him. His company (Company C) got hit real hard there. He was pinned down between a tank and machine gun nest for more than a day. He was reported to his family as being MIA.
He was also in the North Africa campaign, and the Battle of the Bulge. On the Normandy invasion, he recounted how he thought it was all over at Saint Lo when the US air force accidentally bombed his outfit. He never talked much about operation Tiger (preceding the invasion) where his company was also hit hard. A monument was erected at Normandy to honor those from his outfit that lost their lives.
I think they understate the number of Germans killed
I’ve had the honor of knowing a few. One was a UDT swimmer who swam ashore the night before the invasion to plant some munitions to clear a landing zone for the Higgins boats.
A great uncle who was an aviator was killed over France sometime during the war. I have no idea if he was part of D-Day. All I know about him was the I recently found out he was awarded the Silver Star.
Thank you for your father’s service !
I can still see him...one of the most moving moments of my life.
However,it seems likely that they shared some stories at their local VFW Post.
It has been my experience that vets will talk to other vets about their experiences, because their frame of reference is understood. It is hard for a vet to talk to non vets. Non vets just don’t have the back ground to fully understand what the vet is trying to relay.
God bless your great uncle. A Silver Star is not easily come by.
He paid a debt that can never be repaid.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.