We owe them everything! I remember, I think it was fifth grade, Mrs. Snead, for a history assignment I did a report on D-Day, You know, one of those reports where you had to go to Peoples Drug Store and buy one of those binders with the metal straps. I had tons of pictures that I Xeroxed copies of from different books in the school library. Back in those days, all the copies came out as negatives, and all in black & white. I was just in awe of the magnitude of size, and sacrifice of that invasion. I wonder how many fifth graders today, even ever heard about it? My Uncle Bruce was a paratrooper. Uncle Bobby saw action too. My Dad was in the Signal Corps, but then got transferred to the Pentagon to chauffer around a general. I guess the Army didnt want all of Mam Maws boys over there getting shot at all at one time. My Father-in-Law, Ed, was a Polish pilot that flew for the British RAF. He was shot down by the Germans, thrown into a prison camp, but then managed to escape and get back into the fight. He doesnt like to talk about it much, but Uncle Al, (Cheryl, and Janices Dad),shared with me the story of how he lost his left arm when he went ashore in the first wave at Omaha Beach. He was a Navy Frogman, and his assigned duty was to try to secure and report back German entrenchments on the beach, to help direct where the landing craft should beach the troops to avoid as many casualties as possible. Of course he was hit almost as soon as he came ashore. His left arm blown off. He kept going in and out of consciousness from losing so much blood, and felt he had failed miserably at his assigned duty in warning the other waves of landing craft coming ashore that were ambushed. There he was, arm blown off, and still his first concern was for his fellow soldiers. He was pretty much out of the fight at that point, however he and his fellow frogmen did manage to capture a small group of German soldiers on the beach. Uncle Al was left to guard the prisoners. He kept passing out, but the captured Germans kept propping him back up with his gun trained, because they wanted to remain captive and not have to go back into the fight. I can never repay my debt to these, of The Greatest Generation. But I can always remember, and revere them, and be eternally thankful to them, for the immense price they paid 70 years ago. True American Heroes that fought courageously, and selflessly, and literally saved the world.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 13:21:20 +0000
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