JUN 6, 19 .. D-DAY, JUNE 6, 1944, PLUS SEVENTY FIVE YEARS
Some personal thoughts on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day June 6, 1944.
On June the 6th, 1944, I was age 7 years and 9 months. I did NOT know exactly what was happening off the Normandy Coast in France, BUT I certainly KNEW something really big was happening.
This morning I received an e-mail from a friend that I have known since age 5 years. He and I, along with a third friend, attended school together all the way from kindergarten through graduation from High School. Little did I realize, back on June 6th 1944, that our third friend had a older brother who was actively participating in the D-Day Invasion.
Here is a partial copy of my friend’s e-mail to our third friend:
“75 years ago tomorrow, your brother Bernie, directed fire from the U.S.S. Fitch to the German bunkers above the cliffs on Omaha Beach. Tomorrow our granddaughters, Emma & Maggie will be there to honor those who were there. It was an honor for us to see the D-day beaches this past March.”
Then in other e-mails to me my friend added:
“Destroyers including the Fitch and Corey on their own went close in to knock out the bunkers that were giving us problems at Omaha.”
“My cousin Jim was a B-17 pilot flying out of Grafton-Underwood in England. His crew was one of three that completed their 25 missions. Out of the 21 original crews three did their 25. The other 18 crews of 10 were KIA, MIA or POW.
My other cousin Dick was killed in action on his fourth flight in his B-17 over Brunswick Germany when the cockpit took a direct hit from anti aircraft fire. Six bailed out and were captured.”
Talk about some very special and interesting information that has taken 75-years to reach me.
D-Day and WWII have become even more personal to me because a very large part of my past seven months here in the Russian Federation has been my learning about World War II as lived, and as experienced, by the Russians. I have made it a point to seek out and to visit WWII Memorials in each and in every single Russian City that I have been able to visit. What an education this has been.
I will finish this somewhat disjointed collage of D-Day 2019 Memories saying to all who served in the Allied Forces in WWII ..
I SALUTE
AND I THANK YOU
FOR YOUR SERVICE!
Cap
- JUN 5, 19 .. WHAT TO DO .. ASKS OUR FRIEND OLGA IN CHITA, RUSSIAN SIBERIA.
- JUN 9, 19 .. PATTI SAYS / PATTI SAID