OT: June 6, D-Day Plus 80 years

[LETSGORU91]

I was looking for this post this year. I've mentioned before, about my Grandfather Otto May who was a member of Fox Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne. The sister company of the famed Easy Company from Band of Brothers fame.

Check out this incredible story:
https://insidedio.blog.gov.uk/2024/06/03/operation-nightingale-digging-band-of-brothers/

A few weeks back I got a very random facebook message from an archeologist in the UK. She said she found my grandfathers dog tag in Aldborne at a "band of brother" archeologist dig. I assumed it was a scam, she'd want my credit card info or something.
After some research I learned about this Operation Nightingale, a part of the Ministry of Defense in the UK which uses archeology as a form of mental health treatment for active duty and veteran military members. They just so happened to be digging where some Nissen Hut/tents were in Aldborne, UK where Easy Company and Fox company were stationed leading up to D-Day. They unearthed my grandfather's dog tag, which had been stashed in the dirt for nearly 80 years. We've since had several interviews with the dig team and were invited to the dig site next year for an induction of the dog tags and other of my grandfathers medals etc into a local museum. Truly incredible

Yes my dad was there, firing his twin 50s from a 5 man rocket boat 50 yards off of Omaha Beach.

It’s important we recognize and celebrate the heroics of the one million African American troops who behind the scenes supplied and supported our troops.
Along with the few segregated combat units who actually fought and held their ground…. All heroes.

It was wrong and disgraceful our WW 2 military was segregated, but it’s a wrong we corrected.
These black men were patriotic, proud Americans who deserve accolades and distinction!

Amazing stories fellas and everyone else on this thread. Grandfather's dog tags unearhthed is an insanely amazing find. I can't fathom the thoughts going through ours servicemen as the entered these and other battles. God bless these brave souls. Those who died in battle, who have since passed, and the living.

 

[RU_FML]

I toured Normandy 2 summers ago. Driving from beach to beach I was amazed at the number of American, British and Canadian flags I saw flying everywhere but especially on people's houses. Think what you want about French people in general, I probably agree working for a French company ;), but the people in Normandy definitely still remember.

 

[greenknight]

many Germans didn't like the nazis and not all Germans were Nazis. In fact, less than 4mm Germans were Nazis

I think prior to war his dad was a teacher in Germany

 

[MadRU]

In 1945, my father, then 17yo was training for Operation Downfall, the invasion of mainland Japan. He was to be in the first human wave.

 

[newell138]

Now from another perspective one of my wife's best friends is German. We are married 18+ yrs but before we got married we went to her friends parents for dinner. I think it was her dad's birthday. I went into their side room dont really know what room it was it wasnt a living room but his dad was in the German Army and got see alot of real cool photos & memorabilia stuff from.the war. Many pics of him in his Uniform in the field during the war.
It was like a little museum. Her dad took the time to explain all the pictures & items to me.
Often forget there are 2 opposing sides with everyone just trying to stay alive and go back home

My uncle was in the German army as well. Family owned a farm and he was forced to join at 16 and a day later was at the front fighting. Day 2 his best friend had his head blown off and he was captured by the Russians. On his way to a Russian POW camp he jumped off the train and survived until the end of the war. Made his way to Denville NJ after the war and found a job at the farm across from St Clare’s Hospital. Met my dad’s little sister and the rest is history. Raised a beautiful family of 6 kids and worked the rest of his life as the caretaker at Our Lady of Princeton which is now a prep school I think
My other great uncle died while fighting in France a few months after D day and is buried there
Incredible bravery by those men who all fought

 

[Westcoast]

Years ago, on a visit to Normandy, I stood on Omaha's Dog Green sector. Incredible what those soldiers encountered upon landing that morning.

This setting was what inspired the opening segment of "Saving Private Ryan.'

See: http://www.omaha-beach.eu/?page_id=102

My family camped on top of the bluff looking down at Omaha back in 81. And saw in 2003 that the campground is still there and quite popular. Normandy is a place every American should visit. Back in the 80s the locals loved Americans. There were locals driving old Army jeeps around and little wooden signs by country roads that simply had "6-6-44" on them.

 

[Knight Shift]

Tom Hanks has some excellent perspective in this interview.

 

[Westcoast]

My mom's cousin was in the German army during the war. He was on the Russian front and he said it was so cold when they pee'd it would freeze before it hit the ground. They were all sure they were going to die. He was selected for pilot training and plucked from the front lines - probably only reason he survived.

 

[colbert17]

I have told this story before but it's illustrative of the type of men who served.
About 20 years ago I was at a Memorial Day event and one of the guests was a 101st Airborne vet who was at the Battle of the Bulge and the siege of Bastogne. After the event I went up to him shook his hand and thanked him for all he did.
He looked at me with a bit of surprise in his eyes and shrugged his shoulders and said "Someone had to do it."
The Greatest Generation indeed.

 

[fg7321]

For those who don't know what we're talking about who better to explain it but The Duke.

View embedded media

And re: Zap's post

View embedded media

The only war he fought....

 

[greenknight]

This thread got me looking into pro athletes in WW2. Tom Landry was a B-17 co-pilot and flew 30 missions and survived a crash in Belgium. Gotta say athletes back in the 40's were a different breed

 

[mdk01]

Tom Hanks has some excellent perspective in this interview.

View embedded media

And doesn't take Amanpours' bait to turn a D-Day remembrance ceremony into an anti-Trump diatribe. Hey! Who gives a shit about D-Day? Who gives a shit about my uncle buried close to where that interview is taking place? We've got Trump to go after. And I agree, Hanks handled it VERY well.

 

[Knight Shift]

And doesn't take Amanpours' bait to turn a D-Day remembrance ceremony into an anti-Trump diatribe. Hey! Who gives a shit about D-Day? Who gives a shit about my uncle buried close to where that interview is taking place? We've got Trump to go after. And I agree, Hanks handled it VERY well.

I noticed that, but let's leave it there to avoid derailing a beautiful thread with fantastic tributes. Tom was a true professional, and I loved his answer.

 

[mdk01]

I noticed that, but let's leave it there to avoid derailing a beautiful thread with fantastic tributes. Tom was a true professional, and I loved his answer.

Done. And to repeat your words, Tom was a true professional.

 

[zappaa]

My dad’s close friend and teammate Hank Bauer was a decorated Marine Sergeant who fought at Guadalcanal and Okinawa

 

[Morrischiano]

Its not hyperbole to say that if this battle failed then our entire world would be dramatically different today. The Allies would have likely shifted their focus to North Africa, leaving Russia to be the main and only front in Europe. How that would shake out is difficult to guess. The USA might have dropped a nuke on Germany. Russia could have beaten the Germans and seized more European countries as part of the Eastern Block. England could have claimed more colonies in N Africa. Or, Germany could have prolonged the war long enough to get their own nuke- which is the scariest scenario.

The heros of D-Day should hailed forever.

 

[MadRU]

My dad’s close friend and teammate Hank Bauer was a decorated Marine Sargent who fought at Guadalcanal and Okinawa

My uncle served in the Army throughout the Pacific. He was in the battle of Okinawa (Ryukyu Islands), Aleutian Islands, Southern Philippines, and Eastern Mandates. Among his awards he was awarded 2 Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

It bears noting that the largest battles of WWII were fought on the Eastern Front and that the USSR would have lost badly if not for Lend-Lease.

 

[mdk01]

Great Speech.

Ted Sorenson & JFK

Peggy Noonan and Reagan

The 2 best speechwriting/presenting teams over the last 65 years.

 

[mdk01]

Its not hyperbole to say that if this battle failed then our entire world would be dramatically different today. The Allies would have likely shifted their focus to North Africa, leaving Russia to be the main and only front in Europe. How that would shake out is difficult to guess. The USA might have dropped a nuke on Germany. Russia could have beaten the Germans and seized more European countries as part of the Eastern Block. England could have claimed more colonies in N Africa. Or, Germany could have prolonged the war long enough to get their own nuke- which is the scariest scenario.

The heros of D-Day should hailed forever.

Either way, England was too broke and stretched thin to claim more colonies.

 

[zappaa]

Operation Overlord and its enormous logistics and commitment.
And we still had to deal with the thought of defeating the fanatical Japanese empire on their home soil.
Holy shite

 

[e5fdny]

My dad’s close friend and teammate Hank Bauer was a decorated Marine Sargent who fought at Guadalcanal and Okinawa

He certainly looks the part.

Right out of central casting.

 

[mdk01]

Operation Overlord and its enormous logistics and commitment.
And we still had to deal with the thought of defeating the fanatical Japanese empire on their home soil.
Holy shite

The logistics and commitment are even more amazing when you consider 1 month later the US was landing on the Mariana's (Guam, Saipan and Tinian) supported by full carrier task forces and a month after that landed in Southern France.

 

[Morrischiano]

Ted Sorenson & JFK

Peggy Noonan and Reagan

The 2 best speechwriting/presenting teams over the last 65 years.

I love Peggy Noonan. Probably the smartest person to come out of FDU. She also wrote Reagan's speech after the Challenger explosion and worked on George Bush's Sr's staff too.

 

[zappaa]

He certainly looks the part.

Right out of central casting.

 

[mdk01]

I love Peggy Noonan. Probably the smartest person to come out of FDU. She also wrote Reagan's speech after the Challenger explosion and worked on George Bush's Sr's staff too.

Her weekly columns in the weekend WSJ are consistently excellent

 

[ashokan]

Ted Sorenson & JFK

Peggy Noonan and Reagan

The 2 best speechwriting/presenting teams over the last 65 years.

Speech did good job of casually alluding to fact that there were no big guns at Pointe du Hoc. There were telephone pole type decoys stuck in the concrete encasements. The Navy's shelling had also missed targets and there were no beach craters for men to use as cover. Technically, the invasion was not a work of art. Brits did a better job

 

[DJ Spanky]

In 1945, my father, then 17yo was training for Operation Downfall, the invasion of mainland Japan. He was to be in the first human wave.

My dad was a navigator in a B-29 waiting to deploy to the Pacific theater.

 

[MadRU]

The logistics and commitment are even more amazing when you consider 1 month later the US was landing on the Mariana's (Guam, Saipan and Tinian) supported by full carrier task forces and a month after that landed in Southern France.

My dad was on Guam, he was in the Navy Seabees.

 

[RUTGERS95]

MERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RUTGERS95]

lost another one today, my grandfather passed today after falling and breaking his hip on Friday. Amazing life in service of this country.

bless them all

 

[colbert17]

I love Peggy Noonan. Probably the smartest person to come out of FDU. She also wrote Reagan's speech after the Challenger explosion and worked on George Bush's Sr's staff too.

She wrote one of the greatest columns I've ever read shortly after 9/11. It was called "Welcome Back Duke". I'd love to attach it but it's behind the WSJ paywall. If anyone knows how to navigate around it that would be great.
In essence it was a tribute to a "return to manliness". It talked about how it wasn't actors or investment bankers or stock brokers who worked in the shadows of the towers who people lined the streets to applaud but men who worked with their hands: construction workers, welders, carpenters, firemen, police officers who were digging through the rubble hoping for signs of life.
She stated that this was a good thing for the country because "manliness wins wars". America still produces the type of men who stormed the beaches and searched for survivors at the WTC. On this board there are posters who have sons who are Academy graduates. These are such people. Unlike the two fake tough guys we see everyday in the news. Hopefully we don't need a national tragedy to find more again.

 

[colbert17]

My dad’s close friend and teammate Hank Bauer was a decorated Marine Sergeant who fought at Guadalcanal and Okinawa

Also last Oriole manager before Earl Weaver.

 

[MadRU]