Normandy D Day Vet

OMB.1st Special Brigade Monument Pictures on Utah Beach

2011-12-27T11:03:00.026-05:00

Oldest Military Blogger Posts some Pictures he promised....

It seems that, some promises are more difficult to keep.

Forgive the Quality, think of the effort.

Let me know what you think

This Monument on the Utah Beach is almost 30 feet in height and in

some other pictures I posted, our 6 foot seven, First Sergeant Harte,

is standing next to the Pylon at the very top.

The Pylon atop the Monument Dedicated to The First Engineer Special Brigade Memorial and the Service Units that landed on Utah Beach , on H Hour, D Day, on June 6th, 1944.

The front of the Monument on Utah Beach with the Engraved, Bronze, Dedication, Plate, to those lost from the Service Units that are listed in the previous Picture.

A Studio Picture, only not enough contrast to give you an idea how

good looking I could have been.

Standing in the back, on the left is Portnoy, Center, is Schultsy,

Sorry ....Know who the one on the right is, like I know my own name,

but can't recall right now.. It'll come to me!

In the front row, Okie on the left and West Virginia on the right.

Ginny, was from Wheeling, West Virginia, and sharp as a tack.

All Good Soldiers, to have at your side.

The Two grinning Savages in front of the destroyed Pillbox, facing the Channel on

Utah Beach are, Solomon Fein, Sgt.Finnegan on the left

and George E. Gable, Sgt. Okie on the right side of the picture.

Private First Class Anglin, from Peoria, Illinois standing in front of the 301st Company Jeep

when we got to Cherbourg, France....Finally, Housed With Bunk Beds and Mattresses, months after the Assault on Utah.

Okie on the right,and I sitting on our travel gear before we departed on

one of our Train Duties, guarding 40 and eighters, with special cargos,

into the freight yards, outside of Paris.

First Sergeant Harte, of the 301st Port Company...All 6 foot seven of him.

He and I, Jeeped from Cherbourg, to Liege, to visit my

brother, Moishe, in the Hospital when he got Trench Foot, serving with the

80th Infantry Division, at Bastone.

The shoulder patch insignia with the machine gun carried by an Eagle,

is the Amphibious Engineer official symbol.

The Seahorse symbol was worn on our First Class Uniform under the right

pocket of our Eisenhower Jacket .

You can really appreciate the size of a "pillbox", when you see one with with a dozen men

surrounding the area around one destroyed on the Beach.

I recognize a few of the men, by their posture and their attitude standing there.

A few by the hair comb and facial shape and contours, but I would be guessing,

except for the man on the bottom right, is Bob Marcott from Oak Park Ill.

OMB: Merry Christmas To All Servicemen and Women

2011-12-25T23:16:00.004-05:00

My very best wishes to all the Servicemen and women on their homecoming

from abroad this day.

My very Best wishes to all the Servicemen and women who will be coming

home in the very near future..

My very Best wishes to All Servicemen and women, who are in the States and

are not home yet.

If you've made it home, I pray you will remember, where you were

and how you got there.

Most of all...Remember those who will never come home.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

Oldest Military Blogger Resurrection Woodstock & Phil Ochs

2011-12-04T18:39:00.016-05:00

The first time I heard the term, Woodstock,

was the first week in August, 1969.

Vacationing in the Concord Hotel area

with my Family, in upstate New York,

with intense traffic conditions prevailing,

we were taken by surprise.

My teen Daughter asked my wife and I

about attending the Woodstock Festival

with a friend whose Father would take

them and bring them back...

We were very happy to approve this request

because White Lake, was only a 15 minute

ride from where we were staying.

Little did I know, that I would be pressed into

an Heroic role, to rescue them, when the rains

came

Today, I still get the repercussions of The

Woodstock Festival and the Performers

who made a profound impression on America's

Future...

One such Performer was Phil Ochs, with a

rendition of a song called,

What are We Fighting For".

An expression of his personal feeling about

the Viet Nam "engagement", in its early

years.

In January of 2011, Phil Ochs was given a

Posthumous celebration of his Artistry

in New York City.

The Celebration included, movies and Entertainers

who sang his stuff and Film of Phil, his Music

and Lyrics.

"I Aint Marchin Any More" was Featured

in the Films.

Fascinating lyrics of the Artist, Phil Ochs,

in his short 30 years of life, produced the following...

I Aint Marching Any More.

Oh, I marched to the Battle of New

Orleans at the end of the Early

British Wars.

This Young Land started Growin,

This Young Blood started Flowin.

I Aint Marchin Any More.

It's Always the Old Who lead to War,

It's Always the Young to Fall.

Now look at all we've won

with the Saber and the Gun, tell me,

Is It Worth, At All....

For I Stole California from Mexican Land

Fought in a Bloody Civil War.

Yes, I killed my Brothers and Many Others.

I Aint Marchin Any More.

For I Marched to the Battles of

The German Trench, in a War bound

to End All Wars.

Well I must have Killed a Million Men,

Now They Want Me Back Again,

I Aint Marchin Any More.

Well I Flew The Final Mission

in Japanese Skies,

Set Off The Mushroom Roar.

When I Saw the Cities Burnin

I Knew I was Learnin.

I Aint Marchin Any More.

Now the Labor Leaders Screaming

when they Close a Missile Plant.

United Fruit Screams at Cuban

Shores.

Call it Peace or Call it Treason,

Call it Love or Call it Reason

I Aint Marchin Any More.

Today is my 89th Birthday..and

it is my privilege to close with

the following Thoughts.

The 1930 Movie,"All Quiet On The Western Front"

is a WW l Film.

This Movie won the 1930 Academy award for

Best Picture of the Year.

It also has a Foreword before the start of this

Heralded feature, which I repeat here.

"This story is neither an accusation nor

a confession and least of all, an adventure,

...for Death is not an adventure to those

who stand,face to face with it.

It will try simply to tell of a generation

of Men, who, even though they have

survived and escaped its shelling,

were Destroyed by The War."

I use these endearing snippets to make

my world known to those who read me.

These snippets may give you the idea

that I am Anti War.

Well!

You Might be Absolutely, Correct.!

Oldest Military Blogger Remembrance Day 11/11/11

2011-11-15T13:07:00.008-05:00

Five years ago, I opened my Blog without the slightest idea where it would take me. I posted something "provocative", at the behest of my daughter Elaine, in hopes of my receiving a response, for my getting encouragement.

In my mind's eye, I had feelings about flying Our Flag at half mast every day of the week, as long as our Service men and women were at War or engaged, in an action that put our Forces at risk.

I Posted same and was pleased, that it introduced my Military experience, as a basis for the equation of publishing what I intended originally.

Today is Remembrance Day in America.

The United States of America recognizes today, November 11, 2011 as, The Day of Recognition, of the Servicemen and Women of our Armed Forces, who Died while Serving America.

The entire Country will be Flying Old Glory At Half Mast, and every U.S.Diplomatic Outpost in the World, will follow suit..... Today.

Yet my thoughts are also about Tomorrow.

Remembrance Day has Come and Gone.

When will we remember those that fall on Saturday, November 12, 2011, and the Days After Remembrance Day?

Which brings me to today's Posting of an anonymous piece, sent to me by a Great Canadian Friend, who really "knows how to push my buttons".

A Soldier Died Today.

He was getting old and paunchy

And his hair was falling fast,

 And he sat around the Legion,

Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in

And the deeds that he had done,

In his exploits with his buddies;

They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors

His tales became a joke,

All his buddies listened quietly

For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,

For ol' Joe has passed away,

And the world's a little poorer

For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,

Just his children and his wife.

For he lived an ordinary,

Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,

Going quietly on his way;

And the world won't note his passing,

'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,

Their bodies lie in state,

While thousands note their passing,

And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories

From the time that they were young

But the passing of a Soldier

Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution

To the welfare of our land,

Some jerk who breaks his promise,

And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow

Who in times of war and strife,

Goes off to serve his country

And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend

And the style in which he lives,

Are often disproportionate,

To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,

Who offered up his all,

Is paid off with a medal

And perhaps a pension, small..

It's so easy to forget them,

For it is so many times

That our Joes and Jims and Johnnys,

Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians

With their compromise and ploys,

Who won for us the freedom

That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,

With your enemies at hand,

Would you really want some cop-out,

With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--

His home, his country, his kin,

Just a common Soldier,

Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,

And his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us

We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,

We find the Soldier's part

Is to clean up all the troubles

That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor

While he's here to hear the praise,

Then at least let's give him homage

At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline

 In the paper that might say:

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,

A Soldier Died Today.

Why should we not fly our flag at half mast every day when our Servicemen are in jeopardy anywhere in the world?

We have Servicemen,in every major country ln every Continent in the World.

Let's Remember Them, NOW.....

AND.....

Let's Bring Them All Home, Safely.

Oldest Military Blogger /Secret SEALs

2011-08-12T17:56:00.010-04:00

United States Congressman Charlie Wilson found a way in 2007 to use American Taxpayer Dollars to help the mujaheddin in Afghanistan to defeat the Russians.

Suddenly, the Taliban becomes an American enemy and we confront them in Afghanistan. We try to help to establish a workable Government using “moderate Taliban citizens” to keep the peace until we withdraw.
The Taliban are now financed by Anti-American forces and also,some of the stuff we gave them to knock out Soviet Copters.
Congressman Charlie Wilson, who later paraphrased “whenever a plane goes down, I always fear it is one of our missiles. I feel guilty about that...I really do”.

The secrecy of the U.S.Navy S.E.A.L.s (Sea, Air and Land) was made known to me by author Tom Clancy, in my estimation a brilliant, talented fiction writer, who introduced me to, John T. Kelly, Chief Boatswain Mate, U.S. Navy SEAL.,in his 1993 book,”Without Remorse” .
To be a member of the SEAL Service, one must be so secret, that even his immediate family is restricted from that knowledge ..

The recent accolades, paid to the SEALs in their Osama Bin Laden episode, were remarkably
presented in the Media when it was released, by some sanctioned, official section of authority
in Washington......I Guess....I hope, that is the way our Information about secret exploits of our troops are handled......

The Chinook Helicopter downing was a terrible loss to American Forces and Domestic Citizenry,

everywhere.......However....My contention, is with the questionable release of the information about the presence of Navy SEALs aboard the Aircraft ... The mere fact, that the Taliban, immediately claimed complicity in the destruction of the cumbersome vehicle, was abhorrent to many.

Something is definitely wrong with some important, unanswered, questions !

Navy Forces going to help Army Rangers in the Desert and mountainous areas of Afghanistan???

What happened to the Rangers when their help did not arrive???

How many Service personnel were aboard the Chinook that had

a limited capacity of 35, including the 3 crewmen???

Who authorized the release of the 17 SEAL Casualties to the Media???

If you think I’ve left something out, besides my sorrow of it all....let me know.

“To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes,

the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves

and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.”
Thomas Jefferson

Oldest Military Blogger Posts Pictures

2011-07-01T19:23:00.023-04:00

Today I want to respond to my readers with some pictures of my service during World War II. Up until today, I had no knowledge of how to post these photos. You will all be happy to know that today that episode has been completed successfully.

Signed,

Finnegan

Forced to smile under the gun. Howard Portnoy and I with two guitars we purchased with cigarettes from a lady in Ghent.

Lady in Ghent, Belgium and Ozone Park, L.I. Comedian, Polachski...
Who is that good looking soldier on the left side of the picture.

Polachski and I in Ghent, Belgium, June, 1945.

Cadre of the 301st port Company at Indiantown Gap, P.A. The only one I remember is the guy on the left, in the back row.

The Infamous Company Clerk on Utah Beach. The Seahorse insignia on the monument is no longer in use. Originally issued to Combat Engineers and Beach Masters, it was worn on Class A uniforms and attached to the left front pocket of an Eisenhower Jacket.

I got a choice of a Court Martial or Company Punishment in this outfit after I was AWOL and got the nickname Finnegan. I had chosen Company Punishment and later, I was transferred out to a Cook and Bakers unit, going overseas in one week.

The Cook and Bakers unit was reorganized as a Cadre for the 518 Port Battalion. I became a member of the 301st Cadre and the name of Finnegan fit me like a glove .

I waved goodbye to my old outfit, as they shipped out to the South Pacific when the 301st, was just, three weeks old.

They say, a picture is worth a thousand words but in this case I have more than another 1000

words to tell the story of this 496th Port Battalion, photo.

Me, on top of a Bunker on Utah Beach.

Bob Cary and Robert Marcott.

Two men from Oak Park, IL. ,

A Chicago suburb. They

slowly turn into the,

two wildest guys on Utah Beach.

Oldest Military Blogger D Day Delay

2011-06-06T12:47:00.006-04:00

Oldest Military Blogger D Day Delay

D Day on The S.S.George E. Pickett

Today is the 67th anniversary of the Normandy Landings.

Oh yes. They knew we were coming. The 82nd Airborne had been dropped the day before. They fought their way back to the beach.They did not know that the landings would be delayed because of a little bad weather. I'll bet they were outraged beyond anything I could imagine, wondering how they were supposed to hold their objectives without the backup they had been promised, to be, "right behind them."

Waiting for the sound of bugles signifying that the Cavalry, was en route, to the rescue.

To say the least,they were upset. They were tired. They were lucky.

Let me explain where I'm going with this.

People get killed in wars.

Soldiers get killed in war.

We are not trained to see the whole picture.

Our superior officers tell us that we are a small link in the whole chain ,of what the fighting is all about. Don't get negative thoughts regarding your orders.Why are we going to do this, this way, when it seems so much easier, to do it, that way? It's not exactly like they issue a rain check, to some outdoor activity and everyone is inconvenienced for a few days.

This activity has men's lives in the balance.We should not have delayed the landings and sacrificed those men of the 82nd,101st, without a chance of relief as they expected.Somehow I suspect that the delayed landings came about because of some bad intelligence, at the last moments of this operation.

I suppose the early jumpers were told to hold their objective and we would get to them as soon as we can.

Just as these Divisions carried out their orders without question, we would have done the same and gone ashore on the 5th, in the storm, because we were trained to respond to our orders without question and, because we were immortal.

Men who have never been in a combat situation may think about death, but not about their own.

You cannot realize or perceive your own death.That only happens to someone else.

Combat changes that.

One day you understand.

A guy could get killed out here.

When you've seen enough bodies of friends or enemies, you stop running for cover when there is shelling from 88s. You get scared of getting out of your foxhole because one of your skittish neighbors is quick on the trigger.You start thinking a little differently.Your existence depends on how good the guy next to you in the field is. He and the others who are still alive, start thinking pretty much the same way. Don't worry about yourself so much, just watch out for your fellowmen, because they are the only thing that is keeping you alive.

Here we are, more than 67 years after this event and I defy you to tell me how many casualties the pre-D day invaders suffered. I'm sure that this figure is best kept with the overall population of American and Allied losses.

---------

Oldest Military Blogger D Day First Light

2011-06-05T09:39:00.007-04:00

Oldest Military Blogger D Day.First Light.

D Day. First light revealed, an LCT nestled up against the S.S.Pickett on the port side, amidships, next to the No.2 hatch. No.2 is the largest hatch on a Liberty ship and contained the heaviest units. The booms on No.2 are rated for 50 tonnes, so the order was to place our tank cargo aboard the LCT along side. The Landing Craft Tank, can deliver its freight by dropping its ramp like bow, right on the beach and tanks are driven off, each with its own driver,one after the other.During the loading process we were taking fire from shore and the bridge of the LCT was hit by an 88 shell from a German gun.We found out later that a Naval Lt .on the bridge was decapitated. The crew was replaced and the LCT cast off,beach bound.The empty spot was taken immediately by another vessel.The action on the starboard side was used for offloading, fuel, ammo and Infantry into LCVPs. (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel). The SS Morgan went down by the stern, 200 yards off our port side. The daylight increased and it got lighter. My outfit went ashore via an LCVP piloted by a coxswain who was out in the open, at all times. He brought us safely to the beach without incident, then he dropped the ramp, and we debarked in waist deep water. As soon as we were ashore, he backed off the beach to get another load. We had landed on Utah beach.Ten hours later, I returned to the Pickett to help finish unloading the ship and get our gear. The Naval bombardment destroyed almost every fortification on shore.The Atlantic Wall where we landed, was a myth. Fortunately for my outfit, we were put ashore 1000 yards northwest of our initially assigned area, and it was very lightly defended.

There is a Film called "A Walk in the Sun", with Dana Andrews and John Ireland to name a few of the stars,that comes to mind. John Ireland, mentally writes letters to his sister, about his well being after the invasion of an island off Italy. All through the movie, he writes or narrates letters to her, optimistically not knowing, if they will ever be read .

Their mission is to take a well fortified farm house which is serving as an observation post. Completing their assignment, after a huge loss of life, we see,John Ireland's character under a shade tree, paper and pencil in hand, he grimly muses about the contents of a letter to his sister
at the close of the film. .

"Dear Sis, Today we took a farm house. It was so easy."

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Oldest Military Blogger 5 Days Before D Day

2011-06-05T08:41:00.006-04:00

Oldest Military Blogger 5 Days before D Day.

D Day Minus 5 days

I left England on June 1,1944 on the Liberty ship, SS George E. Pickett. This was the third dry run we thought,so the speech we got before we went aboard, by some nameless General, was taken in stride.

After being under sail for 12 hours, we started to consider the possibility, of this being the real thing.The following day, still moving around in the Channel off the coast of Brest, more vessels joined our group.We kept moving together. A convoy without any visible Naval escort. We all stayed on deck as much as we could because it was extremely hot below.

All the hatches were covered but we finally found that our cargo was composed of Sherman tanks, Jeeps with trailers filled with gear, DUKWs piled high with rope cargo nets, two and a half ton trucks with canvas covers tied down and thousands of 5 gallon Jerry cans filled with gasoline and guys from the 90th Infantry
at a loss as we were.

It turns out that the General with no name turned out to be Ike, who I wouldn't know from a hole in the ground, and later realized it was he, when his picture was in the Stars and Stripes.

This was no “dry run”.....This time, we knew, it was the real thing!
Little did we know that we would spend 5 days
aboard this vessel.

Oldest Military Blogger Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T14:35:00.001-04:00

Oldest Military Blogger Memorial Day 2011

Today, Memorial Day,2011, is for rememberance
of the fallen in the service of our Country
.
Today, Senior Veterans, who survived the
turmoils of “long ago”, honor and recall the
service of those who never made it home.

Today, proportionally, one of every thirty
Seniors is a Service Veteran on Social Security ..

Today, I ask you to remember, a World War ll
Veteran, dies every day, of illness,old age
or boredom

Today,those of us who are left, depend
on our Government, to live up to their
agreement with us, toward the Retirement
we worked and paid for our entire working life ..

Today, the Congress is looking for ways
to evade the responsibility they promised.

Today, my Social Security benefit is called, an Entitlement
Entitlement!!!

I paid cash for my Social Security Insurance!
Just because they borrowed the money
does not make my Benefit a Charity, like
a Congressional handout...
Congressional, free Medicare, outrageous
retirement packages, 67 paid Holidays,
3 weeks paid vacations, unlimited paid sick days and
a Cost of Living Adjustment.
Sounds like Welfare to me...and they have the nerve to
call my retirement benefit,....ENTITLEMENT?
We Are Broke.
We are unable to take care of our Senior Veterans.
Wake Up!
Tomorrow, you will all be on Social Security Insurance.
Today.....think about Tomorrow!.
I Thank You For Your Service.

Oldest Military Blogger! "I'm Here!"

2011-05-15T16:16:00.006-04:00

Stephen Sondheim celebrated his 80th
Birthday last year with a review
of his canon of work on Broadway, at
Lincoln Center, in New York.
At 84,Elaine Strich closed the show in song,
with a sock performance of "I'm Here",
bringing down the house with a standing
ovation to lyrics like.....
"I've seen good times and bum times.
And I'm Here"..
Stephen Sondheim,took the stage,
addressed the audience
while standing in front of the
entire Company of Players, stating...
"Alice Roosevelt, once said,
'First you're Young.
Then, you're Middle aged.
Then you're Wonderful!"

So, after 6 months of good days
and bum days, keeping me from my Blog...
Well,
I'm Cool!
I'm Here!
And I'm Wonderful!

Come Home, Safe and Sound and
On Memorial Day,
Remember All of Those,
Less Fortunate.

Thank you for your Service.

Oldest Military Blogger Crossroad

2010-12-04T21:38:00.005-05:00

Oldest Military Blogger ..Crossroads!

I was standing aft, on the starboard side of my
Liberty Ship. entering New York‘s harbor .
It was early afternoon and the Western sun made
the Manhattan skyline glow and shimmer,
in the cloudless blue sky.
I walked around the stern of the vessel to the
port side, to see if it was possible to catch
a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty ..
There She was....silhouetted against the
Jersey shore.
It was exciting for me see this icon, whose
revelation to thousands of arriving immigrants
to America, simply thrilled them, with wonder
and amazement.
I was very happy to be getting home
after 2 years abroad.
What was I going to do when I was discharged
from the Army???
How was I going to get a job?
My parents had moved out of N.Y.C. while I was in service...
Where was I going to live?
Am I going to marry the girl of my dreams?
Are my friends survivors of the War?
With great introspect, I thought about staying
in the Army..
Great!
Nothing changes!
No worries!
Food, shelter,money ..all supplied by the USA.
But!!
Was I a quitter on Life?
No!
So I looked at the re-up form in my hands.
Check the appropriate Box it stated...
4 year Active Service........( )
4 years Inactive Service.....( )
Active Service, was all the above...
Inactive service was a cop out on Life,
to go the Army way, if I couldn't make
it as a civilian.
I Checked the inactive selection.

I had to sweat out the Korean “ War”....
Some of my friends who chose Active, got
called up for that one,immediately..
That, innocent, meaningless, little, CHECK MARK!
The Crossroad of a career, a life, a family
and a 52 year marriage.

Never thought about it then.

Today is my 88th birthday.
Can’t get it out of my mind....now!

Oldest Military Blogger First Flight

2010-11-11T14:25:00.004-05:00

Oldest Military Blogger First Flight

You may find this posting a bit unusual in the
sense that this experience was due to my
adventurous inclination and not necessarily
by my stupidity.
I repeat to my “military friends”, never allow
yourself to be swayed by the stupidity of others
and/or especially your own.
The following might read like a fiction fable,
but the reason I had never mentioned it before
was that the risks I and others took,
were so dangerous, I was ashamed to relate them...but
I will, in spite of my reluctance to bare this,
unbelievable episode..
We were stationed at a German POW Hospital in
Carentan, France,it was late September of 1945,
the war was over and I had a mission.
My P38 German Pistol was Chrome Plated in
Antwerp a few months before and I became
compulsive with the idea that this weapon
had to be fired.
The problem...No German ammunition.
One of the prison inmates mentioned that
the P 38 used 9 mm bullets and that any
9mm ammo might fit.
Word was spread around and my scroungers
turned up with 7 bullets of 9mm.
British Sten Gun rounds in exchange for
some cigarettes
The bullets fit the pistol's chamber and
now I had to find a place for firing the weapon.
Portnoy got a jeep on a beautiful day, and he,
with nowhere to go, was easy prey for
Okie and I, to be persuaded,“to take a drive
in the country”.
We found an off to the side, little road, followed
it for a distance and suddenly came upon
an open concrete paved area with a couple
of aircraft hangars on it.
When asked what this place was, we were
told it was a P47 Thunderbolt base that
was being dismantled with most of the
personnel already shipped out.
A Captain with an 8th Air force Patch on
his shirtsleeve asked us if
we had ever been up in a plane...
We looked at each other and said, “Noooo”.... “
Stick arround,” he replied,and added “I’ll
be right back.”
In a short while he returned with a
young Major in a crushed Garrison hat and
rolled up sleeves on his Summer Tan shirt.
The Major explained that a B 17 Bomber
had crash landed on the field a few
months back and had suffered tail
and undercarriage damage.
The plane was virtually stripped of guns
and equipment and abandoned on the side
of the field ..
When the need for pursuit planes and pilots
diminished at the end of May,the entire base,
bored beyond comprehension, turned their
attention to repairing the downed Fortress.
They had finally finished a few days ago
and had just been checking out the engines
when we “just happened by”.
And now the Big Question!
Because of the excessive stripping, they were
not sure if the aircraft was stable.
And, would we act as ballast on its Maiden Flight?
Are you kidding us!....
Lets Go!.
We were asked to sit on the deck, with
our backs to the Cockpit Bulkhead,
facing toward the tail section ..
No chutes, no safety precautions, no
ropes to hold on, no belts, NO Fear.
Just the thrill of a lifetime.
Our First Flight...
When we started moving she shook. roared
and screeched ....and we were airborne.
The landscape rushed by the wide open
gun emplacements a few feet away,to be
replaced by blue skies and a comforting
throbbing that was my heart in my mouth,
in harmony with the excitement of my
whole being.
Me ...The ardent model plane builder,
in my, not so long ago, youth.
Flying!
I’m Flying!
We stood up.
Went to the gun openings on both
sides of the fusilage and looked down on the
waters below as the plane slowly banked ....
We were asked to return to our takeoff places.
We landed with a shake rattle and roll and
slight bump.
There was another man in the pilot's area
with the Captain and Major who “thanked us“
for “helping” them “to complete their Mission”
while pumping our hands vigorously.
The whole thing became a blur.
We got to our Jeep and realized only 3 hours
had elapse from the time we
had arrived at the base and were safely
returning on the sparsely traveled road
back to the Hospital ...
I never got a chance to fire the P38 that day.

Several weeks later when Okie and I returned
to an empty and abandoned Field, he turned to me
and said,” I don’t believe how stupid it was
for me to get on that airplane with you and those nuts..
What were we thinking?”
"You know...." I thought, and said, "those guys,
you refer to as nuts, the Major and Captain,
risked everything for this too, you know" ...
and I muse in hindsight, surely, they ask
themselves that same Question, every once in a while.

I still can’t answer that Question....
but, as my friend Harvey, always wisely said,
"Who Cares...!"

Sooo, this, is worth repeating here.
Avoid the stupidity of others and especially your own.

Thank you for your service on this Veterans day in 2010.

Oldest Military Blogger Returns

2010-08-27T02:39:00.005-04:00

Oldest Military Blogger Returns.

More than three years ago I started a blog without
expectations of where it would take me.
I had no plan or goal to achieve, other than to say,
I was an incognito WWII Veteran, who wanted to
share his military time with his family, his friends
and those who had very little knowledge of the
war to end all wars.
Gradually, as I proceeded blindly on the course
to my first postings, my thoughts were triggered by
emotional outpourings of wartime experiences.
The realization that My Blog was being read by lay
people with hardly any inkling of the details of
soldiering, Small insignificant details, neglected by
the Electronic Media and the Press,became my
target area.
I started to describe military insignia, military dress,
military rank and military organizations in easy
uncomplicated terms..
I became comfortable in my Blogger role and
decided to out myself on the Internet.
The Republican American Newspaper gave me
an accolade as “The Greater Generation
Joins The Blogger World.”
The article was published February 2nd and 3rd, 2009..
In the following few days every thing changed.
Milblogging.com picked up the item and published this
Front Page story including my picture, and giving me
the honorable title, Oldest Military Blogger ....
I became a Contender !
( I described this term in a previous posting)
The exposure gave me access to readers who left
endearing comments on my postings.
Some comments thanked me for jogging their
memories of loved ones who served
in the Armed Forces.
Fathers, Grandfathers, and Brothers, remembered
in Conversations by their Children, Nieces and Nephews.
How My Readers relished to recall the exploits of
their loved ones as it was related to them!!
How lucky were these readers to have had,
These Conversations.
How, unfortunately for some, in most cases,
there was only a slim chance,
for These Conversations
Lack of enthusiasm to speak about their Service
stays with discharged Veterans ....
Until they find a way to put their experiences
into words, that will be acceptable, to others.
Home, from the Horrors they have witnessed and
were caught up in, they find great difficulty in
participating in any conversation, let alone,
These Conversations.
Please !!
Give them time to realize they are HOME!
It took me 60 years....
So be very patient.......
As you were with me, in my absence.

Oldest Military Blogger Memorial Poem

2010-06-01T17:53:00.004-04:00

I would be neglectful after finding this poem
to not pass it on to my blog and its' readers.
It was attributed to Major Michael Davis
O'Donnell.A Medal of Honor Recipient in the
Vietnam War.
It is a very moving statement and though
I know this poem is well circulated,
my feelings are such that this kind of
expression cannot be reissued too often.
Thank You For Your Service on this Memorial
Day and every day in perpetuity.

If you are able,save them a place
inside of you and save
one backward glance when
you are leaving for
the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say
you loved them,
though you may,
or may not have, always.

Take what they have left
and what they have taught you
with their dying
and keep it with your own.
And in that time,
when men decide and feel safe
to call the war insane,
take one moment,
to embrace those gentle heroes
you left behind.

Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
January 1, 1970
Dak To, Vietnam

Oldest Military Blogger Refers to Exercise Tiger

2010-05-12T20:26:00.013-04:00

On a previous posting in 2007,titled, "Limited Service", I ended the article
with, "What in the world am I doing here on the beach on D Day?"
Through the Freedom of Information Act, two years ago, Ken Small, the author
of " A Memorial For A Sherman Tank ", obtained the answer to that question for me.
He related that in April of 1944, the culmination of a project
called Exercise Tiger and how this rigorous training with live ammunition,
was held as a preamble to Operation Neptune, the invasion of France
across the English Channel.
Exercise Tiger had a previous dry run in December of '43 but the
April 44th rehearsal led ultimately, to be one of the most horrendous
misfortunes of WWll.

Exercise Tiger was staged off South Devon England, at a beach
called Slapton Sands, just 6 weeks before the D Day landings
in Normandy.
South Devon then, was a quiet little hamlet on the southeastern English
coast with beaches, whose configurations were similar to the Normandy
terrain of Utah Beach.
An ideal place for Exercise Tiger were it not for Murphy's Law.
"If anything could possibly go wrong ,it will".
On April 29th 1944, in the English Channel less than 40 miles from
the German occupied French soil, Exercise Tiger was devastated by
E Boats from their base in Cherbourg, France.
The Cherbourg Peninsula was a huge E Boat base that harrassed and
sunk Allied shipping.
E Boats are the equivalent to the U.S. PT 109,the torpedo boat
commanded by John Kennedy in the South Pacific long before he
became the President of the U.S.
These E Boats were fast and deadly and surely held in the highest
regard for the safety of Allied troops and ships by the leadership
of the exercise.
Unfortunately, the 2 Destroyers assigned to defend the men and
equipment had difficulty with their communication gear.
Exercise Tiger was a disaster.
The Army's 1st Engineer Special Brigade and the US Navy suffered
losses in the Channel and on the English beach due to heavy shelling.
The Brigade losses were more than two Companys
At first I thought my Battalion was a replacement for the casualties
of the Brigade.
Later I wes told that our three Port Battalions with the the 1st Engineer
Special Brigade were assigned there originally.... and not as replacements.
In addition.....The Port Battalions were to cover the retreat of
the Landings should it have been necessary...

We would have been the last troops to leave the Beach.

This last line reminds me of the movie.."On The Waterfront"
where the Hero, Marlon Brando, who portrays a professional boxer,
laments to his brother about the last fight he just lost...

" I could've been a contender." he pleads..,

then adds with a moan,

"I could've been "a somebody ! "

That last line means to me, I was a contender.

Contrary, to Marlon's second Classic expression,

I, Am, A Somebody!

Oldest Military Blogger Thinking of All Servicemen

2010-04-25T02:58:00.002-04:00

.."Thinking of all the Soldiers"

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church, have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand"

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgement of his God.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell! "

Author Unknown.

It's the Military,
not the reporter who has given us the freedom
of the press.
It's the Military,
not the poet, who has given us
the freedom of speech.
It's the Military,
not the politician that ensures our right
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
It's the Military,
who salutes the flag, who serve beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag.

If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and
appreciation for the military, pray for our men and women
who have served and are currently
serving our country and pray for those
who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

Oldest Military Blogger at Camp Myles Standish

2010-03-07T02:23:00.008-05:00

Oldest Military Blogger at Camp Myles Standish

On our arrival in South Boston we were billeted in
a warehouse on Summer Street that was converted
into sleeping quarters.
This location made Castle Island very accessible.
New Years Eve of 1943, there was little need for celebration
because duty demanded, shipping stuff out to the troops
abroad, was much more critical.
New Years Day at 6 A.M. our C.O. had the Officers
and Non-Coms wake all the men in the Company, to take
a hike, with full gear.
We marched to East Cambridge and back under
extreme protest from the men and Officers alike.
Three days later, a visitor from the Adjutant General's
Office arrived at our warehouse to respond to some inquiry.
When he left, our surly Captain went with him, fully packed,
never to be heard of again.
His replacement an "Old Army" Captain, assumed
Command of the 301st Port Company.
Within a week, he took away the chevrons of every
Technical non-com in the Company.
He issued a statement that, " No man will wear stripes
without his sanction and authorization".
I did not get my stripes back until, sometime after, we were sent to
Taunton Massachusetts, January of '44 ..
We were kept busy and physically fit in Camp Myles
Standish,in Taunton MA. which was about 60 miles
from South Boston.
We were taking 3 mile runs with light field packs
almost every afternoon.
This was later increased to 5 miles around a lake area....
On one section of the run we had to cross a foot bridge,
across part of the lake, three feet above
the water level.The bridge had rope hand rails, on both sides
of the wooden, flexible track.
When you ran you had no concept of moving forward
except for the blur of the hand rails.
Very few of us could finish that one..
Many men got disoriented and barely finished.
Most evenings, we had surprise night marches, with
Combat field packs.
We casually could be lounging around and
one or two of the Platoons would be called upon, to participate,
in an exercise without warning.
They would have to dress and be ready to move out
in very few moments.
They might ask them to join another unit in this night maneuver,
to attain some target in the wooded area surrounding
the camp, just to find out how they worked with unfamiliar Officers.
One evening the entire Company was activated in this
manner and we were off .
On this sortie, our Platoon was sent off in another direction
than the point the Company had taken.
We had been instructed to follow the path South until we
would meet with the main body of our Unit, less than
a mile away.
The first minutes down the path were uneventful, until suddenly,
the path was obstructed by a concertina of barbed wire.
When Lt. Petrie started to look for a way around the wire,
Oakie and I were at the head of the First Section in our Platoon.
We sprawled across the wire, side by side and the section
then ran over us across the wire
The remainder of the march was without incident and we
met up with the rest of the Company.
At the end of the debriefing back in camp, the Company Commander
told us that he had been informed of an action by someone,
unknown, who helped to allow the men in his group
to overcome the barbed wire.
He wanted to know!
"Who was it?"
He stared accusingly from one side of the Mess Hall to the other.
Many heads turned to Okie and myself, but no one spoke.
Okie and I were silent.
We were not sure if we were right, or wrong.
Never the less.........
Three days later, we, got our stripes back!

A few weeks later we shipped out on the S.S. Argentina,
over the North Atlantic, bound for Scotland.

Oldest Military Blogger on Castle Island

2010-02-13T20:30:00.011-05:00

Oldest Military Blogger on Castle Island.

Indiantown Gap, was a training experience for the
301st Port Company.
We were given the opportunity to use our hard
won knowledge in a real situation.
We were very familiar with the equipment and
material at our disposal on Base,but...
We had no idea of what we would encounter
elsewhere.
Early in December of '43,we were shipped to
Boston, Mass. by rail, and spent some twenty hours
in a crowded Pullman Coach....
The normal rail time from PA.would be closer to
4 hours but the Fortunes of War ordained the
excessive delays because of "security" we were told.
The fact is, we were like 4th class Mail.....
our transport gave way to all scheduled train
passage on our track.
Arriving at our destination at noon in South Boston, our
Company was billeted in a huge warehouse
on Summer Street.
Our area had Bunk Beds with rolled bedding,
neatly placed in rows, on a 10,000 sq. ft.
concrete floor on the second story with a
fire extinguisher, containing water and a
hand pump, located at the head of every
alternate row of Bunks.
Two other Companies occupied the third
and fourth floors.
The Basement was our Mess Hall.
When we finally began our duty to work,
after a week of crude organization and
familiarization with our new home, it was
to be at a place called,
Castle Island..
The men in the Company assigned to work
that night, would leave from the Mess Hall,
fully dressed, under arms, mounting 10 wheeler
trucks, and dropped off at,what we thought was,
"The Coldest Place in The World"....
Castle Island.
We found out about the fact we were not
dressed warmly enough, the first time we went out.
Our Officers and Noncoms alike, froze
their asses off that night and we were cautioned
to "dress appropriately in the future".
Eventually, we clothed ourselves in long underwear,
and our OD's, because fatigues made no sense.
We wore hand made woolen sweaters and scarves
contributed by a local neighborhood Catholic Church.
(my package had a small slip of paper clipped
to the inside of the sweater,inscribed,
"Bless You, Cathrine".)
I carried that piece of paper in my cigarette case
throughout my service .
In addition to the winter overcoats we wore, wool skull caps
pulled down over the ears, a helmet liner and steel helmet,
and the best gloves we could find, in addition to those
issued, but nothing helped.
Our job in South Boston,was to unload Railway
freight cars onto the piers and onto the ships in the harbor.
It seemed, the Longshoremen who were not
in the Armed Services at the time, balked at allowing
us to load the ships, so the Army, in its infinite wisdom,
allowed this to pass.
This resulted in the virtual loss of all our training
from the Gap and we never got, hands-on ship handling in
the States, until we got to Scotland.

We realized later, that the reason we got so cold
on Castle Island was because of the damp fierce winds
coming across this wide open harbor cutting us to the bone.
Everything was fine as long as we kept working.
The problem was, the inactivity and boredom from idleness,
waiting for the changing of the empty freight cars
on the siding with fresh cars, always felt like it
took forever.
We had many occasions of getting to the pier and having
nothing to do for 6 to 8 hours.
We sat huddled in trucks when they were available
and built fires in discarded,empty,50 gallon drums,
often using the packing of loose cargo, and stuff
on the pier for fuel..

Castle Island is no longer an Island.
It has been incorporated into the mainland of South Boston.
After the War, for many years, using it as a dumping ground for
garbage and waste materials, a large part of it
has been reclaimed as a park

Oldest Military Blogger Reflects

2010-01-24T18:52:00.011-05:00

Oldest Military Blogger Reflects

After finishing my Basic Training at Indiantown Gap PA,

and having settled into my new Quarters with the 301st

Port Co., an event took place, that at the time, was very

uplifting for my morale.

My Father,who had gone to work on the West Coast for

Kaiser Shipyards, constructing Liberty Ships for the

MaritimeCommission as an overhead welder, impulsively

dropped in to visit me.

In an interval between Ships, on a train bound for New

York from Washington State, my Father got off at the

Harrisburg, PA. stop, some 20 odd miles from,

Indiantown Gap.

The Camp Service Bus gave him a lift from the Station

to the Gap.

He left after having Dinner in our mess hall but regretted

being unable to stay because he was anxious to be

on his way home to my Mother and 4 siblings.

Many, years later, waking from a Dream, I walked into

my kitchen at Four A.M.,sat down in my underwear

at the kitchen table, and composed the following

recollection of the dream and what it revealed to me,

less it be lost forever....

My Father Loves Me!

On Feb. 14th 1995, I had an insight that was quite

remarkable to me, that after 52 years I realized that

My Father Loved Me ....Very Much!

It was the late afternoon of Oct. 1943...I was in the

Army, stationed in Indiantown Gap PA....An Orderly

came to tell me that my Father was on the Base and

the Orderly had been instructed to bring me to

Battalion Headquarters in his Jeep, because Civilians

had to be detained for security reasons until

a uniformed escort could be provided to accompany

and permit Civilians on the base...It was explained to

me that the visitor was in the company of Master

Sargent Charles Hart awaiting my arrival at the

Sargent's office.

During the ride I had the most agonizing thoughts, trying to

understand the reason for this unexpected and unusual

circumstance of allowing, personal visitors who were only

permitted on weekends for enlisted men....but the ride was

short and when we arrived, we were told that the First

Sargent had taken my Father to the Mess Hall and we were

to meet them there.

As I turned to look toward the Mess Hall, from where

I stood I could see the the enlisted men's Chow Line 200

feet away and outstanding, was the dark blue outfit among

the olive drab in the line restlessly waiting.

The brown fedora and the blue figure's posture identified

his person as my Pop...and as I ran toward him....he turned

to see where the shouting was coming from and saw me

running...he left the line and came in my direction.

When we met there was a very awkward moment, of

no embrace,no hugging or kissing......just some macho

back slapping and hand shaking..and I remember that

wonderful smile on his face announcing to me that he

was not a bearer of bad news.

The thing of it is, for over 50 years until tonight's

Dream, I didn't make any sense out of the look in his eyes.

They saw me with sparkling admiration and good

humor, tearful pride and concern,a careful appraisal

from head to toe and with what I understand now, as,

Much Love......

The kind of Love I hope my Children can see and

apprise,when they notice me looking at them, Now.

The kind of look I had seen in my Mother's eyes,

many times,knowing what that admiration was all

about, but strangely, I never equated that thought

with my Dad.

Evidently, We do get Wise as we Age.

I still have the original hand scripted page from 1995,

on a yellow legal pad.

I share this with you now because I was 21 years

of age then, without the awareness of all that was

going on around me....occupied with my own trials

and tribulations.

I knew innately that my father loved me, but the vivid

dream gave me the intellectual wisdom of his feelings

toward me.

When you get Home, Love your families.

To Love is to Give.

Expect nothing in return and you will never be disappointed.

You get Love only when it is Given without reservation.

Some day, you will realize, you were getting It back in Triplicate,

but hopefully, you were not too busy, to notice.

Oldest Military Blogger Enlightened

2009-12-04T15:27:00.010-05:00

Crossing the Rhine ?

I received an e-mail from Phred, who is a good buddy

and frequent visitor to my Blog. The mail contained

an Op.Ed article published in the N.Y. Times on Nov.23,2009.

He thought it might interest me.

The title "How World War II Wasn't Won" seemed intriguing.

Well it was! And very interesting too!

This type of information that has been secretly

suppressed and hidden away for 40 or 50 odd years.

always interested me because I was there.

This information, about people who we literally

worshipped while they were alive and endeared

in the press and the media, unmasked after.

their demise, with a few dozen words and

a half a dozen plain facts.

Of course witnesses and testimony are always a bonus.

The following is my interpretation of the Contributor

to the Times Op.Ed. Section, David Colley, Author of

"How World War II Wasn't Won"

The 6th Army, led by Lt.Gen. Devers reached

Strasbourgh, France.

He looked across a river to see German territory.

Scouts sent across the river, to determine the

feasibility of crossing this body of water reported

that there were no German defenses and the

pill boxes were not manned.

General Devers had brought the 6th Army Group

from the shores of Marseille to the undefended

Rhine River in 3 months.

His forces of more than 300,000 American and

French troops had landed on the beaches of

Southern France on August 15,1944,in an

unheralded invasion, virtually overlooked

in the battles of World War II and here they were,

ready to cross the Rhine River before the end of

November 1944.

He proceeded to prepare his men and equipment

for the forging of the river while he waited

for his orders.

On Nov.24, General Eisenhower came to see

for himself and instead of ordering LT.Gen. Devers

to take his forces into Germany, he commanded

Devers to engage the enemy further North on

the French side of the Rhine River.

This decision, ridiculed by Gen Patton in his

Memoirs points out that the German Counterattack

ensued, less than 4 weeks later,

with English speaking German soldiers,

in American uniforms,

at Christmas time,

ultimately ended with the Battle of the Bulge

and more than 75,000 Killed,wounded and

the many suffering from Trench foot,

may have never happened.

This post has a direct relation to me and my Brother Moishe.

The war might have ended 6 months sooner and my

Brother would not have had to endure for the rest of his life

with the severe case of Trench Foot so many in the

80th Division earned, South of Bastone, that cruel Winter.

I might add this Quotation from Author,David Colley.

"General Dwight D. Eisenhower's mistake led to one of the

costliest Battles in American History,

the Battle of the Bulge"

Oldest Military Blogger in Ghent, Belgium

2009-10-20T14:53:00.001-04:00

I am stationed in Ghent, Belgium.

It's May 1945.

Hurray!

The War is over!

It's August,1945!

We get leave to go to Paris.

Lloyd, Okie and I get a lift on a Company truck

to Paris.

We meet some Black Marketeers.

They buy everything I carry including my toothpaste.

I keep my B Bag, some socks and 4 cartons of

cigarettes.

They pay us with counterfeit Script!

The ink on the last letter of the Serial Number

is Smeared.

A bartender, later that day points it out to us.

We look over the rest of our ill gotten gains.

All smeared, but hardly noticeable.

The bartender will accept the counterfeit money

if we double the payment!

No Problem!

We do the rounds in Pig Alley including the Follies.

No big deal for a guy from New York who was

familiar to Burlesque.

Astonishing to the others, who decide to stay

in Paris while I want to go back to Scotland.

I get a ride to Etretat, a seaport in France, for

a Boat Train to England.

I spend a couple of days in London and take the

Royal Scot Express with its large windows

and very comfortable seats for a ten hour train

ride to Glasgow,and a bus to Gourock, a small

seaport on the West coast, where I first came

ashore from the S.S. Argentina..

Adda and her family have relocated.

The house is gone and so is most of the street.

It's time to start for home.

The weather turns ugly.

I arrive in Southampton in a pouring rain and

dense fog.

I wait twenty hours for a Boat Train to Etretat.

Southampton train station is jammed with

101st Troopers on leave.

Everyone is standing or sitting on their gear.

An announcement on the PA system tells us

the Boat Train delay will be another 3 hours.

6 hours later, another excuse for 2 hours later.

A huge Trooper jumps up on a nearby booth

and then, onto a counter under the Information Sign.

He pounds the heel of his Jump shoe on the gleaming

counter-top for attention!

Some eyes turn toward the disruption of the unusual noise.

The trooper bellows, above the sounds of the seething audience.

"FORTY EIGHT"

The din in the Terminal seems to mellow.

"FORTY NINE" he oozes out in a loud screeching,

breaking voice, with his arms raised above his head.

Much quieter in Southampton Train Station!

FIFTY!

Not a Sound!

Then starting with a swell:

800 GIs IN UNISON roar their displeasure!

The roar shatters the corners of the terminal,

long and drawn out,starting with a lower register

moan and building to a crescendo,reverberating from

the 50 foot rafters, ending in this emphatic statement

" S O M E S H E E E T "

Less than an hour later, I was on the first

of many boats crossing the Channel in a dense fog,

so darn proud to be an American ..

Oldest Military Blogger Goes Back to 2007.

2009-08-18T23:35:00.002-04:00

Some people my age are not very Computer literate.

Where is the stuff about D Day they ask?

How can I find it?

The posting process is such that the newest

postings appear first in my Blog.

My D Day experience was posted in 2007.

I thought it might be a good Idea to reprint

the posts from 2007 as an easy way to solve

a huge problem.

Actually, I enjoyed reading them again.

I hope you do too.

Oldest Military Blogger 5 Days before D Day.

2009-08-18T23:30:00.002-04:00

D Day Minus 5 days

I left England on June 1,1944 on the Liberty ship, SS George E. Pickett.
This was the third dry run we thought,so the speech we got before we went aboard, by some nameless General, was taken in stride.
After being under sail for 12 hours we started to consider the possibility
of this, being the real thing.The following day still moving around in the Channel or off the coast of Brest more vessels joined our group.We kept moving together.A convoy without any visible Naval escort. We all stayed on deck as much as we could because it wasextremely hot below.
All the hatches were covered but we finally found that our cargo was composed of Sherman tanks, Jeeps with trailers, filled with gear,DUKWs piled high with rope cargo nets, two and a half ton trucks with canvas covers tied down and thousands of 5 gallon Jerry cans filled with gasoline.
You asked me for something to chew on. Well, it looks like I may have bitten off more than I can chew on at this moment.
Give me a day or two till, I get my shit together.
It turns out that the General with no name turned out to be Ike, who I wouldn't know from a hole in the ground, and later realized it was he, when his picture was in the Stars and Stripes.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2007

D day minus 5 Hours

In the afternoon on the 3rd of June, many more vessels could be seen and an occasional Destroyer raced by. We were called for a briefing on deck and we found that sections of Infantry from the 90th Division were our shipmates.The briefing was about cutting off the Cherbourg Peninsula with an initial assault from the NW and then one from the opposite side of the peninsular.These forces would join in the middle and then move toward the town of Cherbourg. Historically, some of this occurred, evidently the fierce weather on June 5th may have made some of this cumbersome. We were getting seriously bored.We played cards,shot craps, wrestled, slept and ate when we could keep it down.Dusk on the 3rd we were under full sail. I didn't know where I was but from the suns position I thought we were sailing South East.With daylight on th 4th there were hundreds of ships in view but as the day wore on foggy weather, or man made fog, the storm closed in.That night, in a storm tossed sea very few could sleep.Someone was sobbing and crying in my sleeping area.I climbed down into the engine room stairwell and the sound of the boilers and pumps hammered me to doze off.The tossing of the Pickett continued for most of the morning of the 5th and then it cleared as it got dark. Suddenly the sky was full of tracers. Full of heavy Naval fire. everyone on deck realized, tomorrow we go.

Oldest Military Blogger on the S.S. George E Pickett on D Day

2009-08-18T23:19:00.002-04:00

D Day on The S.S.George E. Pickett

Oh yes. They knew we were coming. The 82nd Airborne had been dropped the day before. They fought their way back to the beach.They did not know that the landings would be delayed because of a little bad weather. I'll bet they were outraged beyond anything I could imagine,
wondering how they were supposed to hold their objectives without the backup they had been promised, to be right behind them. Waiting for the sound of bugles signifying that the Calvary was en route, to the rescue.
To say the least,they were upset. They were tired.They were lucky.
Let me explain where I'm going with this.
People get killed in wars.
Soldiers get killed in war.
We are not trained to see the whole picture.
Our superior officers tell us that we are a small link in the whole chain ,of what the fighting is all about. Don't get negative thoughts regarding your orders.Why are we going to do this,this way,when it seems so much easier to do it that way? It's not exactly like
they issue a rain check to some outdoor activity and everyone isinconvenienced for a few days.
This activity has men's lives in the
balance.We should not have delayed the landings and sacrificed those men of the 82nd,101st, without a chance of relief as they expected.Somehow I suspect that the delayed landings came about because of some bad inteligence,at the last moments of this operation.
I suppose the early jumpers were told to hold their objective and we would get to them as soon as we can.
Just as these Divisions carried out their orders without question, we would have done the same and gone ashore on the 5th, in the storm, because we trained to respond to our orders without question and because we were immortal.
Men who have never been in a combat situation may think about death, but not about their own.
You cannot realize or perceive your own death,that only happens to someone else.
Combat changes that.
One day you understand.
A guy could get killed out here.
When you've seen enough bodies of friends or enemies, you stop running for cover when there is shelling from 88s, you get scared of getting out of your foxhole because one of your skittish neighbors is quick on the trigger.You start thinking a little differently.Your existence depends on how good the guy next to you in the field is. He and the others who are still alive, start thinking pretty much the same way. Don't worry about yourself so much, just watch out for your fellowmen, because they are the only thing that is keeping you alive.
Here we are, more than 60 years after this event and I defy you to tell me how many casualties the pre-D day invaders suffered. I'm sure that this figure is best kept with the overall population of American and Allied losses.

TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2007

D Day.First Light.

D Day. First light revealed, an LCT nestled up against the S.S.Picketton the port side,amidships,next to the No.2 hatch. No.2 is the largest hatch on a Liberty ship and contained the heaviest units. The booms on No.2 are rated for 50 tonnes, so the order was to place our tank cargo aboard the LCT along side. The Landing Craft Tank, can deliver its freight by dropping its ramp like bow, right on the beach and tanks are driven off, each with its own driver,one after the other.During the loading process we were taking fire from shore and the bridge of the LCT was hit by an 88 shell from a German gun.We found out later that a Naval Lt.on the bridge was decapitated. The crew was replaced and the LCT cast off,beach bound.The empty spot was taken immediately by another vessel.The action on the starboard side was used for offloading, fuel, ammo and Infantry into LCVPs.(Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel). The SS Morgan went down by the stern, 200 yards off our port side,as the daylight increased and it got lighter. My outfit went ashore via an LCVP coxswain who was out in the open at all times. He brought us safely to the beach without incident, then he dropped the ramp, and we debarked in waist deep water.As soon as we were ashore he backed off the beach to get another load.We landed on Utah beach. 10 hours later I returned to the Pickett to help finish unloading the ship and get our gear. The Naval bombardment destroyed almost every fortification on shore.The Atlantic Wall where we landed, was a myth. Fortunately for my outfit, we were put ashore 1000 yards northwest of our initially assigned area, and it was very lightly defended.
There is a Film called "A Walk in the Sun", with Dana Andrews and John Ireland to name a few of the stars,that comes to mind. John Ireland writes letters to his sister about his well being, after the invasion of an island off Italy. All through the movie, he writes or narrates letters to her, optimistically not knowing, if they will ever be read .
Their mission is to take a well fortified farm house which is serving as an observation post. Completing their assignment, after a huge loss of life, John Ireland's character under a shade tree, paper and pencil in hand,he grimly muses about the contents of a letter to his sister at the close of the film .
"Dear Sis,
Today we took a farm house. It was so easy."

Oldest Military Blogger in Carentan

2009-08-05T00:34:00.007-04:00

The Newest Confliction

Why not!

These are my experiences in the Military that

have nothing to do with the shoot-em-up syndrome

that everyone expects and certainly not worth

writing about.

When the War was over in MAY,we were taken

out of Antwerp and shipped to Carentan, France

and assigned to a prisoner of war hospital where

some 850 Germans were recovering from wounds

after being treated, then housed and being

rehabilitated to normality.

We took out groups of those in good physical

shape to do some sort of manual labor to ease

their boredom and to keep them busy.

They helped widen narrow brooks in the area to

provide freer flowing water to farmers who used

the streams for irrigation of their new crops.

The prisoners also did maintenance to wooded areas

that were heavily damaged by shelling.

My first day on arrival, I had a group of ten Germans,

lead by a German Sgt.with a yellow armband to

signify his seniority, who was going to hand out long

handled shovels to the others, asked

me with a bow and a gesture to the shovels, "O.K.?"

I nodded in affirmation.

Each of the men came up to the truck, took

a shovel, shouldered it and followed

the Sgt on a hardly visible trail into the woods.

I was at the end of the line!

In a moment the Sgt. was out of sight!

Alone with my Carbine and 10 armed Germans

leading me into the woods like a sheep

to the slaughter.

Apprehension turned to anxiety when they

started singing in perfect unison a stirring

Wagnerian melody that sounded like a battle

cry to me.

As we got further into the brush, anxiety

turned to sweat when I realized they were

gaining on me!

Suddenly, we came to a narrow stream that

was carrying a large volume of water

very rapidly.

The Yellow armband pointed for me to go

under a tree and said, "Bitte", asking me

to please sit, with a hand motion and a knee

bending, partial squat.

Hell!

I wasn't gong to sit!

I had to be on my guard!

I watched them deploy, 5 on each side of

the swollen brook to make the channel wider,

moving away from me, downstream, as a unit.

Two hours passed and they stopped for a

break at the command of the Sgt.

They produced food from nowhere and ate

while they sat on the higher bank of the

swirling waters on their unfamiliar route.

The leader offered me a sandwich of some

kind which I refused..

I ate a chocolate bar from my K Ration.

Break over,they went back to the section

that they had cleaned out, finished it off,

thoroughly, in a very German fashion, neat

and clean.

Outside of the footprints in the very soft

soil there was no evidence of anyone

having ever been there.

Beautiful day!

Plenty of shade!

I noticed that the men were wearing rubber

overshoes that were nearly invisible.

They were happy to be alive with 3 meals a day

They would be going home soon.

The Yellow Armband shook my shoulder!

"Bitte" he said.

I stood and followed them back to the Hospital.

On weekends they had a Bazaar,sanctioned

by the authorities but run by the Germans.

..As were their kitchens.

In fact, we used to go to the German Mess

where they had the same Rations we had

in our kitchens, but the preparation was like

comparing McDonald's to the Waldorf.

GIs came to the Bazaar to buy and

exchange stuff with the Germans.

When Okie and I went to to the large open grounds of

the Bazaar, in addition to the fact that we

were amazed by the industry and the neatness

of the area, there was a Barber Chair with a

GI getting his hair cut.

Seeing that the Barber was removing the

sheet wrapped around the man sitting in

the seat, I was prepared to be next.

The GI turned out to be an American

Captain with a Caduceus Insignia on his collar.

He gave the Barber the going rate,two cigarettes.

I sat down.

Carbine on my lap.

The hair cut was swift and clean taking a

few minutes.

When I stood, the German asked me with

an amusing smile,

"Shave, Sargent?"

He started stropping a straight edged razor

on a leather strap hooked on the side of the chair.

I looked into his dancing blue eyes,

glanced at the Carbine in Okie's lap,

then at Okie.

Okie shrugged, and slammed a cartridge into

the chamber.

"Yes" I said.

I sat.

He shaved.

I gave him 2 cigarettes, which he took

with some humility.

He half saluted with a little nod and said,

"Danke", we left.

Later I recalled.

There were much more than 100 people

in the area making lots of noise with

conversation, clatter and laughter that we

are familiar with in a gathering of this sort.

When that Round was loaded by that

Bolt Action, Time stood still.

There is something in the sound of the bolt

action loading a rifle that spells imminent Death.

The prisoners in the Hospital were immune

from further bloodshed after being treated

and tendered too and now with the war over,

no threat of any bodily harm.

The sound of the rifle action brought the

whole situation back to reality.

Someone could die here!

No one knew who it could be.

Everyone was happy when it was not him.

Memorial Day "What is A Vet"

2009-06-19T21:10:00.005-04:00

I am going to post a statement by a Vietnam Veteran

who has given me permission to post same, by saying,

"You have my permission to use this but you really don't

need my permission. You're a Veteran, you don't need

anyone to give you permission to do anything."

I only know him by the name of, "ICEDVD".

I wish all Veterans had his passion.

What is a Vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating
two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run
out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose
overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic
scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.

She (or he) is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep
sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or
didn't come back AT ALL.

He is the Parris Island drill instructor who has never seen combat -
but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks
and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's
backs.

He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals
with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass
him by.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose
presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the
memory of all anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them
on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now
and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp,
or the old guy greeting you at Wal Mart who watched from afar as the
Viet Cong cut off the arms of the children they had just vaccinated.
And they wish all day long that their wives were still alive
to hold them when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who
offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his
country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to
sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he
is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the
finest, greatest nation ever known.

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just
lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most
cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or
were awarded.

Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU."

It's the soldier, not the reporter, Who gave us our freedom of the press.

It's the soldier, not the poet, Who gave us our freedom of speech.

It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who gave us our freedom to
demonstrate.

It's the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves others with respect
for the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the
protester to burn the flag.

JUST SAY 'THANK YOU', THIS MEMORIAL DAY

Oldest Military Blogger's 65th D Day Anniversary

2009-06-06T16:43:00.005-04:00

My calender tells me.

Honor Veterans.

Fly The Flag.

D Day.

My 65th Anniversary.

Almost over.

My Thoughts to all Service Men And Women.

Thank You.

To all Veterans I add,

Thank You For Your Service.

Oldest Military Blogger. Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T15:02:00.009-04:00

My son called this afternoon and wished me a happy

memorial day and in the same breath asked why

I neglected posting stuff on my blog for almost a month.

I told him that I was conflicted.

"Great!" he said, "Write about your conflict

and why that is so."

I replied, " I've had many experiences that I

just couldn't write about."

"For instance?" he questioned."

Well, there was a time where I had a detail

to guard a train out of the city of Cherbourg with a load

of cigarettes, to the freight yards of Fontainebleau,

a famous town, outside of Paris.

The train of 12 cars of the infamous 40 N 8ers that were

on a narrow gauge track was to leave at the early hours

of the next morning under great secrecy.

Cigarettes were the foundation of the French monetary system.

Okie, Porter, Lloyd were under my charge to deliver

this most important cargo to all the impoverished

Yanks who would use this booty to finance their Wine, Women

and gambling needs....

Hey, the war was almost over and there were thousands

of GIs on R and R in Paris without any

American issued French Francs.

Cigarettes, when available,were in the PX at the

army price of $1.80 a carton with a 2 carton limit

and could be exchanged in the mainstream civilian population

for $20.00, in French currency.

You did not have to be a smoker to buy at the PX

but you were a fool if you did not make those

two cartons the highest priority of your agenda.

When we entered the rail yards at our destination,

during a brief stop, a First Lt. and two enlisted men

approached me and told me they would take over the train

and we were relieved.

When I asked him for papers after I saluted him smartly,

the Lt .became irate.

Putting his hands on his hips near his holster

he said,"That's an order Sgt."

I turned to look over my shoulder pointing

to the top of the caboose where Okie was sitting

with a 50 Caliber machine gun aiming down at us.

The two enlisted men, turned, and walked away....

the Lt. smiled at me and followed them.

Twenty or so minutes later ,the train went deeper

into the yard and a full chicken Colonel

and Major released us from duty,, with the proper papers.

That's my conflict !

Who's going to believe this experience!

This is not a story!

There have been references to my Blog as a few "stories"

Stories are easily written.....These memories are not easy.

"I may be able to think of some experiences

that are more believable for my Blog later..

so be patient." I explained to my Son,

before I hung up.

After our conversation, which always ends

with, an, "I love you", I thought about the greeting

of "Happy Memorial Day, Dad."

This day is to remember those who never made it home....

Those, whose efforts are keenly remembered by

their immediate Family, Friends and loved ones.

It is a Happy Memorial Day for my Son Phil and I.

We share this moment with you and to remind us of

those that cannot.

Oldest Military Blogger...Remembers...

2009-05-02T14:37:00.009-04:00

The first few days we were ashore we ate K Rations.

These were individual wrapped and packaged

with waterproofing heavy wax paper

and indestructible without a sharp knife.

The packages contained variations of 4 ounces of

plum pudding in a can, an instant coffee package,

a bar of chocolate,a dehydrated soup packet, some

unrecognizable can of fish or meat.

four cigarettes and toilet tissue....

This ration was generally issued before

a mission as a supply for a couple of days.

Water treated with iodine for safety

was brought to the Company area by Battalion trucks

and hung in a large bag, with a spigot, for any individual to

to fill their canteens..Canteens were carried on our

Garrison utility belts at all times.

The reason I mention these facts is when we went out to

a Liberty cargo boat we took our K rations with us.

The ships galley was off limits to us but the cooks and crew

who had meals from an up to date kitchen, took one look at our

K rations which we were heating up on our steam winches, and it

kinda turned their hearts to invite us to what ever they had available..

Fresh eggs and cookies were an extreme benefit sometimes...

if we asked.....for some fresh milk for our coffee ...

When the ten or so days had passed our Company

set up a reasonable kitchen on the beach and was serving C rations...

Pretty much standard Army chow except for the fact

we had no tables or chairs, so we took our

mess gear and food back to our foxholes.

Most of the ships we serviced were Liberty ships or Victory

ships..The Victories or C2's as we called them, were

faster than the Liberties and less prone to submarine attack.

They also used Electric Winches to unload their hatches.

Occasionally we found ourselves aboard a Hog Islander which

had 3 specific decks higher than the hull line. We thought that

the name Hog Islander was with reference to these three

raised decks.

All these ships carried ammunition and war supplies,food and fuel

not necessarily with the above priority.

There was a vessel called a C4... A Reefer.

A Victory C4 was an ocean going boat with complete refrigeration

capability to transport fresh meat and ice cream, etc. etc.

The C4 had a vastly different configuration than all the others because

the cargo hatches were all in the forward part of the boat and covered

with water tight hatches to keep out seawater.

When we unloaded a Reefer we might celebrate in our Kitchens

for a few days with the stuff that "fell off the truck"..

Most of these boats were in the 10,000 Tonne

dead weight category where her cargo was concerned.

The most unique vessels we unloaded were called, Coasters...

They were one third the size of the Liberties and Victories,

About 125 or so feet long compared to 400 to 450 of the others.

They generally delivered their 700 tonne cargo by running aground

at high tide onto a beach that had no harboring accommodations.

At high tide as they entered the beach area they would

drop a trailing anchor,and play out sufficient cable to allow

them to get as close as possible

for the next high tide to float them off again..

then,using the anchor and cable to winch them out to deeper waters.

When they beached, land trucks would take their cargo

directly to land storage places for distribution.

When the tide came back in and she was afloat ,empty, the Screws," propellers"

which are completely encased for protection from the sands could

take them into deeper waters with help from the cable and anchor.

One night a Norwegian Coaster with a cargo of mortars arrived

at low tide and was unable to beach.We were sent out to unload

her before she beached in the morning.

When we boarded, a German aircraft that we called Charlie,

who dropped a few bombs almost every night was in action again.

He dropped two bombs beside a Liberty we could see all lit up

because our orders were to keep our lights on when we were unloading,

even under attack, Fish in a Barrel, we called it.

The plane then circled our coaster.We could not see

it but we heard it very clearly.

We watched two bombs hit the water 2 or 300 feet on our right, amidships.....and one bomb 100 or so feet in the waters to our left.

We watched the explosions and didn't move.

We had no place to hide! THE WATER WAS DEADLY.

The concussion of that bomb in the water would have killed anyone NOT aboard the Coaster.

Nevertheless, not knowing if Charlie was coming back, and we, sitting atop tons of explosives, covered ourselves with the,tarpaulin

that secured the hatches,and went to sleep,

waiting for the tide.

Le Caliente Cafe, Antwerp, Belgium

2009-03-21T08:12:00.011-04:00

One of the questions I've been getting regarding my Blog
is whether inquiries come from readers I served with.
The truth of the matter is from the time
I finished Basic Training until my actual
Honorable Discharge, very few of the members
of my outfit knew me by my given name.. to most
I was just known as Finnegan.
Explanation!
Simple!
Yet complicated....as many simple things are!
Before completing my basic training in April of 43,
our Commanding Officer began dealing with
the issuing of passes for the Easter and
Passover Holidays which overlapped that year.
His solution was to split the Company roster
down the middle and give Easter passes to those
with names starting with A to N.
The remainder would enjoy their passes during
the following weekend.
Frank Simone and I were the only men in our
Barracks who were left out of sorts.
When Frank Simone asked the Company Clerk
about switching to the Easter weekend,
Frank was told to make the best of it...
The C.C. could not be bothered to change
and keep track of all the requests for these
changes of convenience because assignments
for details for the men who were not on pass
had been made.
In an earlier blog posting I indicated the
irresistible force of the Company Clerk.
When he made a decision, it was irreversible.
When Frank Simone and his Chicago cronies
found out that Solomon Fein was in the
Easter group they very swiftly persuaded
me to change so that they could have Easter
with their families and friends.
I needed little persuasion....but if I made it
look too easy they might not do a reasonable
job of covering for me when I was gone.
Easter came and went..Every morning at Revelry,
a designated some one, in a rear file of the platoon,
would respond with a "YOH" when Frank Simone
was called out ..
Not Here!
Not Present!
Just, YOH! NOT BY ME, Of course. My name was not on the List.
I did not fall out with the Barracks for Revelry.

Someone in our Barracks covered for Simone on every Detail Assignment.
Frank Simone returned from Holiday,
gave me his 4 day pass and assured me not to worry ...

The 5th day,before my pass expired,
I arrived in Harrisburg PA by train after
my holiday,took a bus to Indiantown Gap
and walked through the gate with a handful of other men,
flashing my pass at the disinterested guard,
at 7:00 AM Monday.
Walking down the narrow cinder road, coming
toward me some hundred yards away was
a column of troops.
When they got closer I knew them to be
my Company marching out to the rifle range
and led by my First Sargent.
Nowhere to hide
I stopped and stood there.
BUSTED!
When they got to me
the First Sargent recognized me.
Holding up his left hand and using his whistle
with his right to halt the men.
"Where Were You! " he bellowed.
Standing there in my Class A Dress uniform,
I simply said "Home."
"You're AWOL. You're under arrest!" he furiously
motioned to his Staff Sgt.to escort me
and confine me to my Barracks.
That afternoon,I stood for a
Summary Court Martial and sentenced
to 7 days of hard labor......
Tuesday morning, orders came through
transferring me to a Unit of Cook and Baker
School Graduates, who were due to go overseas
in the next few days.
Some of the guys from my outfit came over
to see me and commiserate with me
about my plight and how unfair it was
that the Company Clerk had told Frank
Simone, to work it out, any way that he could .
In addition to that, no one outside
of our barracks knew that Simone
was involved in my AWOL machinations... and
how much fun it was for everyone
during the few days I was gone.
It seemed when inquiries were made as to
my whereabouts, they were told ,
"I think he is in the barracks"
When the search was made in the barracks
they were told, "I think he went to the PX"
Finally one orderly after being misdirected
too many times exclaimed,
"In again! Out again! What is it with this Fein guy!
I might as well be looking for a,
" in again, out again, Finnegan"
The reason the First Sgt was upset with me was
because he took the roll call that Monday
morning before I showed up.
Someone had YOHed me in .........
and he took it personally.
Thursday morning the Cooks and Bakers shipped out.
Only 15 of Us GFUs who were left, were reorganized into
a Cadre for the for the formation of a new unit
of Instructors. ??????????
The right way, the wrong way, and the Army way.
The deal was enhanced with Corporal stripes
for each of us and I sadly waved goodbye
to my old unit two weeks later when they
left Indiantown Gap.
The rest of my time in the service, everyone
in the company including the officers,
thought the whole thing was laughable
and called me Finnegan.
Some might think in a negative manner.
I wore my Alias proudly because of my
close association with these brave men
who served with me in the 301st and called me Friend.
Willy Dick Bradley, N.Y.
Jack (Jake) Ryan, Wheeling West Virginia,
Meridith Williams, San Antonio Texas,
George Gable, Gene Autrey Oklahoma,
Bob Marcott and Robert Cary, Oak Park Illinois,
and that, occasionally, one or more of us, was rescued
from Under the Table in Le Caliente Cafe in Antwerp.
I think about these men often and wonder
if they have survived to enjoy their
well earned Senior years.
Ironically, I don't suppose they might think,
that their cohort of many escapades,
Finnegan,
is the Oldest Military Blogger.

The Red Ball Express

2009-03-10T23:40:00.007-04:00

The 301st Port Co. was listed under the auspices
of the Transportation and Supply Administration
out of General Eisenhower's Sheaf Headquarters.
Our job was to deliver the the goods to the front
lines via ship to shore operations..
When the lines move forward the solution
fell to the Red Ball Express to deliver the goods.
The Red Ball Express was composed of units of
White troops and units of Black Troops working
independently of each other.
The U.S. Army was segregated during the assault
on Normandy and for many years later until 1948.
The Red Ball Express became very important two
months or so after the Landings...The rapid
advance of the invading forces stretched their
supply lines until they ran out of gas.
This is no pun. The Red Ball Express was an
integral part of the success,of the victory,
after solidifying the beaches and the
closing the Falaice Gap.
More than 5500, ten wheelers, 2
and a half ton trucks, were used over a
period of ten weeks to bring 800,000
Gallons of gasoline a day to the
stalled front lines to feed the Tanks and
the other hungry guzzlers of the
1st and 3rd Armies.
These 10 Wheelers were driven day and
night, many times without using their
headlights because of the fear of enemy action.
Picture 900 trucks a day in a never ending
row 50 feet apart driving at night with tiny
slits giving off slivers of light shining through
their electric taped, covered head lamps
They became so efficient that there were
days of 1 million gallons a day being delivered,
until the distance from the beaches was
so great that the trucks themselves were using
almost 2o,ooo gallons each day.
The gas was transported in a 5 gallon
Yellow Container, called a Jerrycan.
There was no pumping of gas needed.
The ships were loaded in England with
Jerrycans full of gas, the DWKS were
loaded from the ships with Jerrycans
and then loaded on to the Red Ball trucks
to be taken to the front lines.
The truck had a crew of two in the cab
and an occasional mechanic or Officer
who may have required transport ...
There is so much credit given to the
Tuskegee Airmen for their contribution
to the war effort which I cannot justify here,
because I only know what I read about
them.
I am not doing this Blog, to disparage
the Airmen, but it seems to me, that
they slept on clean bedding every night,
ate 1st class rations, and had plenty of
fresh water, all of which made their
risky job a trifle easier.
It, seems to me.
The truck crews drove through enemy
territory every time they went out,
slept in their trucks when they were
empty on their way back and on
the ground or in the truck cab when the
equipment broke down under the
constant pounding it had to withstand.
Think about sleeping in a disabled truck
filled with gasoline or 105mm ammo
with a bypassed enemy in your area.
I have never read anything about the
casualties R.B.EXP Crews suffered but
their bravery is indelibly written in my
mind.
I knew these men and their accomplish-
ments first hand.
In 1943, I taught African American troops
who were in Port Companies, in
Indian Town Gap Penn.
When I was a Cadre member
(but thats another story)of instructors
there, the Port Companies came for
actual experience of ship loading in the
middle of a virtual Desert.
In 1944, I watched some of these Port
Companies unload Liberty Ships..tossing
around Jerrycans full of gasoline
into cargo nets, like they were sacks of flour.
The loaded nets were placed into the
Red Ball Trucks for delivery.
Talking of unsung heroism.....
I say, take a look at the Red Ball Express.
The Original Delivery Experts, Under Fire.

I've witnessed segregated
U.S.Army Black Troops in 1943.

I've witnessed Their
New Commander in Chief,
The First Black President of
The United States, in 2009.

Insignia for the Armed Forces

2009-02-23T13:01:00.008-05:00

The American Insignia Co. manufactured
costume jewelry prior to WW ll.
In 1941, instead of ankle bracelets and lavalieres
they started producing Army, Navy, Marine
and Coast Guard Official Insignia.
The firm had a room full of stamping presses
and die makers to supply them with authentic
approved dies .
The jewelery line was phased out and I
found myself employed by the largest producer
of insignia in the US.
My job was to solder the joints,
(pins with a pivot base) catches ,
(Latches to hold the pins)
and posts ( gizmos that penetrated the
clothing and were secured by tiny spring locks)
to the backs of the insignia stampings which
were used for fastening to uniforms .
Soldering, required a torch, that used
illuminating gas and compressed air, to heat
the stampings and melt the silver solder
to secure the findings.(pins and catches)
I guess you now know where this post is heading ..
The soldering was done on Asbestos boards
8"X14" and one inch thick.
We placed the findings under the
flame of the torch with steel tweezers.
The tweezers we had, were ten inches
in length and used to locate the findings in
their proper place on the stampings.
We used our tweezers to keep time with
the music, that played on the Muzack, by
beating them on the asbestos board to
the tempo of the sound while we waited for
the silver solder to melt.
Plenty of asbestos was airborne, while
we hunched over the decaying board with the
air pressured flame, while we were
innocently breathing in the hot residue.

Here I am telling you, how lucky I am, that
after 4 years of doing this work, I am free of
mesothelioma, Asbestos Poisoning.

There are thousands of Navy personnel
that may not be so lucky.

The Navy used asbestos-containing products
as fire resistant compounds in their vessels for
many years, until 1970.
After that, less amounts of asbestos-containing
products were used on newer ships.
Many Servicemen serving aboard these
ships were in addditional peril of
Mesothelioma, asbestos poisoning.

Asbestos.com/ has a list of all naval vessels
that may have contained contaminants.
A Veteran must provide proof to the V.A. that
their disease is asbestos related, and that
exposure occured during military service.
in order to receive any benefits..
A Veteran unable to prove to the V.A. that
their asbestos exposure is limited and related
to service will be advised to seek
compensation from asbestos manufacturers.

Asbestos.com has a list of Naval vessels with
asbestos contaminants that may have
threatened your health.
Your best bet is to inquire of the
Veterans Administration
if you think you are at risk.

42nd Street inThe 40's

2009-02-13T17:57:00.005-05:00

The summer of 1940 found me working
in a Whelan's Drug Store on 42nd St.
Diagonally across the street was
The Commodore Hotel ..
At my station behind the counter,
I could look uptown toward ,the east side
of Grand Central Station, emptying
into Lexington Ave.
It was a very busy place.
My friend Barney told me of a job
vacancy in the West 50's
When summer ended, I left Whelan's
and started at The American
Insignia Company.
AMICO, as it was known to us,
was closer to my High School,
Haaran High, on 59th and 9th Ave.
I was hired, part time, as an apprentice
solderer.
With high school behind me I began
full time at Amico, as Senior Solderer.
I worked there until I left for
the US Army early in 1943 .
At the completion of my Service I returned
to Amico in 1946 by contractual agreement,
with a raise in salary.
Four months later I married Bea, in
Broadway Mansions with 50 couples
in attendance.
The cost of the Wedding was 400 Dollars
and my Salary, $34.00 a week.

Today 34 dollars would be,
cab fare to the Hall, 3 miles from
42nd Street.

My Father Loves Me

2009-02-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

On Feb. 14th 1995 I had an insight that
was quite remarkable to me.
After 52 years I came to realize that:
My Father Loved Me, ..Very Much.

I got out of bed at 2 am
wrote this on a legal pad, in pen and ink
longhand, sitting in my underwear.
I still own the pad today.

It was late afternoon in Oct. 1943 ..
I was in the Army, stationed in
Indiantown Gap, PA.
An Orderly came to tell me that my father
was on the base. The Orderly had
instructions to bring me to Battalion
Headquarters in his Jeep, because,
civilians had to be detained for Security reasons..
A uniformed Escort had to be provided
to accompany the visiting Civilians
on the base.
It was explained to me that my Visitor
was in the company Master Sgt.
Charles Hart, who was my 1st Sgt.
He was awaiting my arrival at the
Sargent's Office with the Officer of the Day.

During the ride, I had the most agonizing
thoughts trying to understand the reason
for this unexpected, and unusual
circumstance of allowing personal visitors,
who were only permitted on weekends
for enlisted men.......but the ride was short
and when we arrived, we were told ,that
my First Sargent had taken my Father to
the Mess Hall, and we were to meet them there.
\As I turned to look toward the Mess Hall,
from where I stood, I could see the enlisted men
in the Chow line, most in green fatigues
about 100 feet away .
Outstanding was the dark blue outfit
among the olive drab, restlessly waiting.

The blue figure with the brown fedora had a posture
that identified this entity as my Pop....
and I ran toward him.. He turned to see where
all the shouting was coming from...
and saw me running...he left the waiting line
and ran in my direction..

When we met there was an awkward moment,
of no embrace, no hugging or kisses...
just some very Macho back slapping and
hand shaking ...and I remember that
wonderful smile on his face that announced to me
that he was not the bearer of bad news.

The thing of it is, that, for over Fifty Years,
until this particular night,
I had never made sense out of the look in his eyes.

They saw me with sparkling admiration
and good humor, a tearful trace of concern and
a careful appraisal from head to toe....And
with what I understand now, AS MUCH LOVE !

The kind of love I hope my children can
see and apprise, when they notice
me looking at them, NOW.

The kind of look I had seen in my Mother's eyes
many times and knew, what that look of
adoration was all about.

Strangely, I never equated that thought
with my Father until this moment.
WOW!
My Father Loved Me.

Evidently, we do get wise, as we age.

Veterans and Their Families

2009-02-05T00:32:00.009-05:00

This is really an old story of mine
posted in a previous Blog.
The chaos created to the Families
of caught up National Guardsmen
and Army ,Navy and Marine
Service men by the nature of the Iraqi
War was devastating and swift.
Combined with the threatening
economic turn down and the
deplorable Housing situation
for them is despicable.
Now ,they are being asked to
pay taxes on the pensions they receive

There are as many as 20 wounded
for every man or woman lost
in action or Illness.
They say we have 35 to 40 thousand
wounded and over 5 thousand mortally
wounded and dead.
I am inclined to say,it is more like
100,000.
What about the many thousands
who are denied treatment
and consideration for
open wounds that don't bleed.
Think of the returning Viet Nam
Veterans inflicted with Agent
Orange who were not recognized
with a service connected disability
until almost 10 years later.
Those wounded will never be
included in the final count taken
after 1978.
They will be added with an Asterisk

Our National Guardsmen are
Volunteers who enlisted to protect
The United States and its shores
from Terrorists.
What about the state of mind
of these wonderful men and women
who find themselves, thrust into war
to find non-existing weapons in
a country, Thousands of Miles
From Their Families, for a "tour
of duty" of 1 to 3 years.
Think of the anguish of this personnel
and their Wives,Children,Mothers,
Fathers, Siblings, (yes the caps are mine
because that's how important
THEY are to me) extended family
members and neighbors and friends
relating to this occurrence
The Guardsmen,with desire,
to defend America from Terrorists,
are shocked when
they are sent on what
turns out to be an exercise in frustration.
Don't you think that will affect the
Services with supreme stress and traumatic
conditions, in addition, to Worry
of a roadside explosion that kills
without selectivity ?
I do!
You have to think that , after a while, we
should abhor the horror of armed conflict
because there really is no winner.
At the conclusion of a battle, we are
supposed to be elated when the enemy
has a huge body count compared to
a smaller loss on our side.
Factually, the lesser loss, is magnified
by the Multitude that Mourn The Loss..
That is what war is!
I have earned the Right to Say So !

Will They Never Learn!

Let not them, without child to serve in war,
Beckon, our Sons to go.

Let them commit, their Sons,
Then, our children will follow.

Postscript.
To submit a comment please click on
"Publish" at the very bottom of the
dialogue box.
Sorry ...It should really say "Submit"

Many people have asked me about
their comment and were disappointed
to find out I never received one.
They told me they saw the word
publish, but were reluctant to make
any changes to my blog.
Let them rest assured,
The box, Publish, will be moderated
by me and added to the comments.
It will not affect the Blog at all.

I want to thank all you Bloggers
for Your Submissions

Table of Organization

2009-02-04T15:39:00.008-05:00

The Table of Organization, for those
of you who do not know, is the way
a business, a Corporation
or a military service unit is set up.
The idea being, to hand down orders,
advice, or criticism or accolades,
as the Head of the Organization, who
is the superior decider ,to the level
below you and then in turn to
prevail on the lowest member of this
team to provide the desired effect
for the entity for which you are responsible.
The United States Army is such an
endeavor.
My Company was part of the
army with a T.O. made up of a
Captain who was in charge of our Company
and responsible to the Major and a
Colonel in Battalion Headquarters.
The Captain has 2 silver bars as insignia.
to indicate his Rank.
He has a First Lieutenant,(one silver bar)
and 2 Second Lieutenants (1 brass bar)
The "Brass" is worn on the Epaulets
and/or the collar of the Officers uniform
The Lieutenants were each in
charge of one of the three Platoons.
Our Platoons had on average
55 personnel , a non-com, a Staff Sgt.,
who had his designated Rank which was
displayed on both sleeves of his uniform.
(a non-commissioned officer with
three inverted V stripes atop
one rocker joining the ends of the
inverted Vs, cup like, at the ends.
Three Buck Sgts.,( three stripes,
no rockers) each in control of one
of the three Sections of a Platoon .
A Section would have 17 or more men
including the Sgt, his Corporal.
and 15 Privates First Class, (a single Stripe)
and Buck Privates ...No Stripes.
Each Section can be broken down
into Squads of 4 or more men
with a Corporal (two stripes) Leader.
There is also a Service Platoon
with the job of taking on all kinds
of details that require skills
to make the Company more efficient.
Don't ask me what else they do.
I don't know.
They came out for Roll Call
every morning.
Never saw them again.
My Loss.
I was a Sgt.,with three years of service
and never knew what the Service
Platoon ever did.
Now to the T.O. ,which gave the rank and
job responsibility of the individual.
There is a Corporal Rank, a two striper,
whose job was to run the paperwork
and a T.O. of Company Clerk.
There was not one single issue of Company
business that did not go through the Corporal's
hands. Every order, every change of personnel,
every Court Martial, (military trial)
every promotion in Rank,
every time the upper echelon Officers or
Non-Commissioned Officers need advice
or a Jeep to goon a non sanctioned rendezvous,
all the intricate personal ventures by those
responsible for the survival of the Company
was an open book,To The COMPANY CLERK.
No wonder that EVERYONE was beholden
to him.
So there goes your T.O., down the drain.
The Corporal was the only one in Charge.
Remember "Mash"? How funny that was?
This Little Guy?
Ran the office and the
Officers?
No Joke!
Patton Didn't Win The War.
His Company Clerk did, Bless him.

I am very glad that you came by again.
Thank you.

Greater Generation Joins Bloggers!

2009-02-02T23:32:00.004-05:00

Wow !
Hardly at a loss for words..
Got so many I don't know where
to begin this special day.
The Article," The Greatest Generation
Remembers" published in the
Feb. 2nd Republican American
generated a flow of traffic to my Blog
that made me re-read what was
so impressive.
Holy Smoke!
My stuff is great!
I got chills reading about the
landings... and who was this
guy that wrote this?
Couldn't believe it.
It was I.
My passion overpowered my hand
and the words are a part of my soul.
My expression is stronger
than I can imagine but the results
are right to the point.
My post tonight is to thank
every person who has ever read
my Blog and encouraged me to continue.
Encouragement that made me look inward
and overcome the jeopardy of identity
exposure, and allowing me to find
peace with my thoughts.
I know there are a lot of you out there.
Get it off your Chest!
Just another day ?
Nah...just one of the best.

Beside being cathartic, my blog
has put me on the verge of Celebrity.
My special thanks to
Julie Shoemacher of the
Middlebury Public Library,
Matthew O'Rouke,Reporter
and Jim Shannon, Photographer,
of the Republican American.
These are some of many,
who made this day possible.

The Republican American Reporter

2009-01-30T20:37:00.004-05:00

Very cold today..15 Degrees F. and expecting
to climb to 23. Some winds with a wind chill
of 7.
The Reporter, Matt O'Rourke, called and asked
if the 1:00pm we scheduled was still a go
for this afternoons interview regarding my Blog.
Confirming I said yes,
and to "come on down".
It seems the unusual interest in my Blog
is because not many people "my age " blog.
Unusual ? My age? What age is that?
I don't think it is unusual at all.
Although when I walk into the bathroom
in the morning, I wonder who the
guy in the medicine chest mirror is..
And what is he doing in my house!
I am as young as you are on any
given part of the day.
I never let the man in the mirror leave
the house with me.
So what is all the fuss about having
a blog?
It appears to be that many people
my age have more important things to
do with their lives than waste it away
finding out about all these
new fangled things called computers.
I was intrigued in 1996 and took advantage
of The Hunterdun High School of
Flemington N.J. offering classes
for Seniors to attend after
3:00 pm every Thursday, instructed
by students, for an introduction to computers
and the Internet.
Two years later I had my own Computer.
In 2006 I noticed a pamphlet in the
Middlebury Library with regard
to an easy way to open a "blog".
I took the pamphlet home and
Shazam.....
I became a Blogger.
It took me 6 months to figure
out what I was going to blog about.
My service in the U.S.Army
was a very important part of
my life and I thought,
why not!
Matt O'Rouke is ringing
my doorbell.
The interview went very well.
I might have run off at the mouth
a little bit but I think it went pretty
good considering how nervous I was.
Mr. O'Rouke led my gently but firmly
through the maze of ideas I had
pre-supposed to be important.
In the end they were extraneous.
Thank you Matt O'Rouke.

The Republican American Photographer

2009-01-28T14:19:00.004-05:00

Today we had snow storm that stopped most of the

buses from bringing students to school

closing all the classes in the Waterbury area.

I was supposed to have been interviewed today

by a reporter from the local newspaper

called The Republican American.

The Middlebury Library gave my Blog

information to the reporter and

he requested an interview with me

concerning my ability to meet with him

at 1:00 this afternoon.

I agreed, but the bad weather forced

him to reschedule the interview

to tomorrow at 1:00 pm.

However...

They asked if a photographer could

take some pictures today at my home.

Well, of course it would be great,

because there was no way that I

was going to be busy with all the snow.

I thought that the pictures and the interview

might generate new interest in my Blog.

New interest is what I needed to give me

the additional incentive to become more

active in my Blog submissions.

I now realise that my stuff should

have some kind of frequency in order

for it to be of interest to the casual

searcher. To publish my stuff as soon as

I thought of it, instead of waiting 3 or 4 months

until it was all thoroughly thought

out and lost spontaneity.

Starting today I will do just

that.

Spontaneously.

There will be more tomorrow !

The Photographer, Jim Shannon, came, took

his pictures and left me fully elated

because of the excellent way this

snowy day turned out.

My Brother Moishe

2008-11-17T21:46:00.006-05:00

My brother Morris was in the
Infantry of the 80th Division
at the Battle of the Bulge.
The 80th Division,one of General Patton's
Elite units, arrived in France in
early August of 1944.The Division
suffered over 17,000 casualties
including almost 4000 dead
and missing in action.
Morris joined the Division in the
States and landed on the beach
57 days after D Day.
The Division had seasoned troops
at the Battle of the Bulge.
Morris was 2 years younger than I
and married the love of his life,
his childhood friend,
a Seward Park High school classmate,
Selma, while he was in the service
of the United States Army.
Their daughter Carole was born
while he was serving overseas.
During the Battle of the Bulge his
Division was isolated in the open,
under constant sniper fire in extreme
winter weather conditions.
Their foxholes were covered with
snow and ice and eating K rations.
Unable to change clothing to keep dry,
he and hundreds of others in the Division,
came down with a debilitating
condition called Trench Foot.
That is:
Frozen feet and toes because of
the long enduring exposure to
freezing temperatures and the inability
to change or care for their feet because
of wet shoes and socks..
Many of the Infantrymen had severe
complications that demanded surgical
removal of one or more of their toes.
When the battle ended, Morris
was hospitalized outside
of the town of Liege.
The Red Cross sent me a message
that he was in hospital.
No idea of his state of being
I asked my CO to please let me
go to see him.
My CO, sent my First Sgt.and me,
without papers,
without the Captains blessing,
with a weekend pass to Paris.
First Sgt. Hart got us to the hospital
in 5 hours from Cherbourg to Liege.
Moishe was in bed and in great pain
and I was so happy to see that
we made it and he wasn't dying,
fell on him to hug him.
"Get off " he yelled," do you want to hurt me"
"No hugging" he continued, aloud, "what
are these GIs gonna think."
He held me close and pulled
a loaded P38 from under his pillow
and asked me to take it because he
thought it would be stolen
while he was asleep.
He had disarmed a German Officer
of his Luger sidearm, the P38.
He was happy to see me and very
happy to see me go because of the pain.
One month later he was sent for
R and R (rest and recreation) to Luxembourg.
I met him there and we took some pictures.
He had gone to Switzerland and gave me
a wristwatch for my wife to be girlfriend, Bea.
But that's another story.
Next month would have been his 84 birthday.
I intend to celebrate that day with
his daughter Carole and
husband Bill in a couple of weeks.

First Special Engineer Brigade Monument

2008-03-15T19:56:00.020-04:00

The First Engineer Special Brigade,
with the 594th Regiment ,
is the unit that transported
my outfit, the 301st Port Company
and the 90th Division, and a number
of reporters and photographers
from "Stars and Stripes" Newspaper.
We were all aboard , the Liberty Ship,
S.S.George E. Pickett,when we departed
from England on June 1st, 1944 .
The next stop was
Utah Beach on
D Day, H.Hour, @ 6:30 am
on June 6th,1944.
It was pointed out to me,
that nowhere in my blog
is this information posted.
There is a Monument on Utah
Beach today, dedicated to The Brigade.
The Title on this posting will link
you to The Brigade History site.

,

Oldest Military Blogger on D Day Minus 5 days

2007-09-02T22:19:00.002-04:00

I left England on June 1,1944 on the Liberty ship, SS George E. Pickett.
This was the third dry run we thought,so the speech we got before we went aboard, by some nameless General, was taken in stride.
After being under sail for 12 hours we started to consider the possibility
of this, being the real thing.The following day still moving around in the Channel or off the coast of Brest more vessels joined our group.We kept moving together.A convoy without any visible Naval escort. We all stayed on deck as much as we could because it was extremely hot below.
All the hatches were covered but we finally found that our cargo was composed of Sherman tanks, Jeeps with trailers, filled with gear, DUKWs piled high with rope cargo nets, two and a half ton trucks with canvas covers tied down and thousands of 5 gallon Jerry cans filled with gasoline.
You asked me for something to chew on. Well, it looks like I may have bitten off more than I can chew on at this moment.
Give me a day or two till, I get my shit together.
It turns out that the General with no name turned out to be Ike, who I wouldn't know from a hole in the ground, and later realized it was he, when his picture was in the Stars and Stripes.

D day minus 5 Hours

2007-08-30T00:34:00.001-04:00

D Day on The S.S.George E. Pickett

2007-08-01T06:11:00.003-04:00

Oh yes. They knew we were coming. The 82nd Airborne had been dropped the day before. They fought their way back to the beach.They did not know that the landings would be delayed because of a little bad weather. I'll bet they were outraged beyond anything I could imagine,
wondering how they were supposed to hold their objectives without the backup they had been promised, to be right behind them. Waiting for the sound of bugles signifying that the Calvary was en route, to the rescue.
To say the least,they were upset. They were tired.They were lucky.
Let me explain where I'm going with this.
People get killed in wars.
Soldiers get killed in war.
We are not trained to see the whole picture.
Our superior officers tell us that we are a small link in the whole chain ,of what the fighting is all about. Don't get negative thoughts regarding your orders.Why are we going to do this,this way,when it seems so much easier to do it that way? It's not exactly like
they issue a rain check to some outdoor activity and everyone is inconvenienced for a few days.
This activity has men's lives in the
balance.We should not have delayed the landings and sacrificed those men of the 82nd,101st, without a chance of relief as they expected.Somehow I suspect that the delayed landings came about because of some bad inteligence,at the last moments of this operation.
I suppose the early jumpers were told to hold their objective and we would get to them as soon as we can.
Just as these Divisions carried out their orders without question, we would have done the same and gone ashore on the 5th, in the storm, because we trained to respond to our orders without question and because we were immortal.
Men who have never been in a combat situation may think about death, but not about their own.
You cannot realize or perceive your own death,that only happens to someone else.
Combat changes that.
One day you understand.
A guy could get killed out here.
When you've seen enough bodies of friends or enemies, you stop running for cover when there is shelling from 88s, you get scared of getting out of your foxhole because one of your skittish neighbors is quick on the trigger.You start thinking a little differently.Your existence depends on how good the guy next to you in the field is. He and the others who are still alive, start thinking pretty much the same way. Don't worry about yourself so much, just watch out for your fellowmen, because they are the only thing that is keeping you alive.
Here we are, more than 60 years after this event and I defy you to tell me how many casualties the pre-D day invaders suffered. I'm sure that this figure is best kept with the overall population of American and Allied losses.

D Day.First Light.

2007-07-31T14:08:00.002-04:00

D Day. First light revealed, an LCT nestled up against the S.S.Pickett on the port side,amidships,next to the No.2 hatch. No.2 is the largest hatch on a Liberty ship and contained the heaviest units. The booms on No.2 are rated for 50 tonnes, so the order was to place our tank cargo aboard the LCT along side. The Landing Craft Tank, can deliver its freight by dropping its ramp like bow, right on the beach and tanks are driven off, each with its own driver,one after the other.During the loading process we were taking fire from shore and the bridge of the LCT was hit by an 88 shell from a German gun.We found out later that a Naval Lt.on the bridge was decapitated. The crew was replaced and the LCT cast off,beach bound.The empty spot was taken immediately by another vessel.The action on the starboard side was used for offloading, fuel, ammo and Infantry into LCVPs.(Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel). The SS Morgan went down by the stern, 200 yards off our port side,as the daylight increased and it got lighter. My outfit went ashore via an LCVP coxswain who was out in the open at all times. He brought us safely to the beach without incident, then he dropped the ramp, and we debarked in waist deep water.As soon as we were ashore he backed off the beach to get another load.We landed on Utah beach. 10 hours later I returned to the Pickett to help finish unloading the ship and get our gear. The Naval bombardment destroyed almost every fortification on shore.The Atlantic Wall where we landed, was a myth. Fortunately for my outfit, we were put ashore 1000 yards northwest of our initially assigned area, and it was very lightly defended.
There is a Film called "A Walk in the Sun", with Dana Andrews and John Ireland to name a few of the stars,that comes to mind. John Ireland writes letters to his sister about his well being, after the invasion of an island off Italy. All through the movie, he writes or narrates letters to her, optimistically not knowing, if they will ever be read .
Their mission is to take a well fortified farm house which is serving as an observation post. Completing their assignment, after a huge loss of life, John Ireland's character under a shade tree, paper and pencil in hand,he grimly muses about the contents of a letter to his sister at the close of the film .
"Dear Sis,
Today we took a farm house. It was so easy."

Classification: Limited Service !

2007-07-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

Classification: Limited Service: 4A
I was drafted on February 1943.
On a very cold morning in New York, I left home, alone, with 4 handkerchiefs in the breast pocket of my overcoat. A subway ride later, I arrived at the Selective Service staging area for our departure to Camp Upton.
After two days of being outfitted with gear, I was introduced to the Kitchen Patrol, that is,K.P., and became a repetitive practitioner at the sink, washing pots and pans.
After a week, it was off to Fort Dix and Orientation, in becoming a soldier in the U.S.Army.
Ten cold mornings later, sleeping in tents, I was shipped out to Indiantown Gap, Penn.
My assignment was to a Port Company.
What's a Port Company, you ask ?
Every one in our camp asked the same question.
A Port Company is, a Special Service unit, that is responsible for delivering supplies to servicemen, to support their physical needs for well being, the necessary equipment, to do battle, feed and clothe them properly and to keep their moral at the highest level.
So what are we doing in Indiantown Gap, Penn.?
Except for the four Port Battalions, Indiantown Gap, is a virtual deserted area, some 20 miles east of Harrisburg, Penn.. There are 4 Port Companies in a Battalion and each company has roughly 220 men.A full Colonel in charge each Battalion and a General is in charge of the base.
Our job was to unload Ships.
Who are the men picked for this duty, you ask?

They were the dregs of the draftees.
Many Officers were from OCS, (Officers Candidate School )
without the basic knowledge and the training,
for teaching the complicated logistics of, supply and demand .
We all learned all about these, at the same time.
The hard way.

Really, I can only speak for myself.And maybe a few others.
Lots of military personal are going to be offended when they read this section of my Blog.
When I was drafted, my Classification was 4A.
Limited Service!
My eyesight was 20/400 and with corrective lenses they were 20/30. Without glasses the Big E on the top of the eye chart was blurred . Legally blind without spectacles.
My right knee was injured in High School and had lost 30% of its motion. I walked with a limp and could not pedal a bicycle
because of the knee restriction.
Limited Service !
So, I assume, I was in a company of peers.
Officers and Enlisted men.
"Limited Service" .

Now!
You tell me!
How in your greatest fantasy, did we wind up, on the
Beaches of Normandy on H Hour on D Day ?
Talk about provocative?
Read on, as I try to unveil this conundrum.

Meanwhile, Back on The Beach,

2007-07-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

We returned to the Beach after unloading the S.S.Pickett and were assigned to an area of our Battalion's jurisdiction, told to dig foxholes
in the soft sand and chow down because rampant rumours of
German paratroopers had been dropped behind our advancing
Infantry and were heading for the Beach.
Dug our foxholes,skipped chow and found ourselves facing inland
till daybreak, Carbines at the ready, with our backs to the Channel.
Come morning,we were glad to board DUKWs and head out to bring in supplies from another ship in very rough waters.
When we returned to the shore, my foxhole became a haven away from all the tumult. I went right to sleep.
The paratroopers never materialized
probably because of all the Armor that came ashore that day.
That night we were shelled or bombed by aircraft-I never found out.
What I did find out was that we lost 17 members of our Battalion
because they had dug their foxholes too deep and the sand caved in,
smothering them.Many had narrow escapes and had to be dug out.
We went out in the morning to work a shift, unloading gasoline
and found out about the casualties when the crew, who came to relieve
us, gave us the bad news.

Our Mess on the Beach

2007-07-25T11:40:00.000-04:00

I use this tongue in cheek title, because there was no building or housing
for the troop to eat their meals on the beach, for at least 3 weeks.
We ate near the chow line where we could empty our food waste into a barrel, wash our mess kit and canteen cup in another barrel, refresh our canteen with water, and go about our duties.
When we dressed for duty, we had some necessary apparel besides clothing.
We wore our leggings, our garrison belt, our inflatable
life saver belt, our carbine and our mess kit.
Leggings were worn around the calf and ankle to protect
against injury from sharp object or bramble in the field.
We had Orders, to wear leggings, when we went out to unload
cargo from vessels. We followed these Orders until we became aware
that many men drowned when their DUKWs capsized in rough seas and were pulled down by their leggings, which were made of heavy canvas, laced on, and impossible to remove in the water unless
you could cut them off.
Our Garrison belts on the other hand had a multitude of steel eyelets
capable of supporting various items.
A small canvas pouch with a supply
of a wound treating antibiotic called Sulfanilamide.
An extra pouched clip of ammunition for the Carbine
One could attach a 45 side arm holster and a 45 automatic as some
Officers were issued.
A canteen and canteen cup combo in a canvas carrier, was always suspended from our garrison belt full of water.
In the first few hours on the secured beach, large water containers were available to everyone and instructed to keep their canteens full. These containers were treated with iodine to prevent contamination.
The Garrison Belt had a quick release gizmo, so there was no problem, to get rid of it, if one was in trouble.
The Carbine, (rifle) had a sling and was always slung over the shoulder
with its stock at shoulder height, barrel pointing down.
Finally our Mess Kit.
I don't know if it is one word or two words but here is the physical appearance of this essential piece of General Issue (G.I.)Equipment.
The utensils,comprised of a fork and spoon, a 10"X 5"oval pan about an inch and a half deep ,hinged at one end, with an 180 degree handle, one inch wide, 10 inches long with the ability to support the pan, like a pan handle at one end, and fold over the pan to take up less room.
This Mess Kit Handle, slipped through and over our Garrison Belt,
folded in half but unable to lock closed, clanged against the pan with every motion that the wearer made.
You could hear us walking down to the DUKWs on the beach, through
the soft sands a half mile away.
We carried spoons in our breast pockets, tucked between our cigarette pack and the cellophane wrapper the pack came with.
No one went anywhere without their spoon, until we got a mess hall.
When we ate on the beach,we lined up,mess kit in one hand,canteen cup in the other,we had removed our leggings,but carried a slung carbine ,still wearing our garrison belt, with the canteen, open, with it's screw cap cover hanging by a tiny chain, ready to receive fresh water.
We ate on the beach in this manner for almost 3 weeks.
No shelter except the one we could devise out of any flotsam or jettison
we could find to make our foxhole more habitable
For 8 days the weather got more and more furious. We worked 16 hour shifts every day and spent very few hours ashore.
We carried K Ration aboard ship and found various ways to prepare them. Traded chocolate bars with the Merchant Mariners for fresh fruit
and cooked soups on the steam winches.
Then disaster.
4 days of squalls and the inability to go out and get supplies.
Many drowning deaths because of attempts to navigate out, to unload precious cargo's of gasoline, and 75 mm shells for tank ammunition, and stuff like, Sealed Orders.
Finally, orders came to shut down all off loading activity.
We existed on the beach on K Rations to conserve food,
dug our foxholes deeper, used shelter halves to cover them, lashed down with timber drift wood.
I found a U shaped piece, of a downed Mosquito Bomber,that was part of a door, to hold down my nylon shelter half over my foxhole.
Fortunately,the sand absorbed all the rain and there was very little flooding for us. My heart went out to the GIs stuck inland.
On the fifth day we were ordered out in very heavy seas with 12 foot
waves.
That day,against orders,I decided not to wear legging any longer.
When we got to the side of the Liberty, she had cargo nets hung over
the side. We jumped one at a time, from the DUKW,at the top of the wave toward the nets and quickly climbing as fast as we could to avoid the
rising DUKW on top of the next cresting wave.
The Liberty Ship was not anchored.
She was underway,against the tide the entire time we were boarding.
She was loaded to the Plimsoll Mark (a maximum load line on a ships hull to indicate her capacity) and her screws were below the waterline, but we knew,they were spinning.
It took hours to get 28 of us aboard.
14 men from each DUKW.
The two drivers and their crew men were the best example
of unsung heroes in a war, where heroes are determined
by the enemy deaths.
They unloaded one at a time.
The empty one waiting in case one of our company
fell into the water or was crushed by the rising vehicle they had just left.
When the second DUKW was empty ,they both left together to return
to the beach.
The Beach was now, out of sight.
The best wishes for God Speed and safety from every man in our company, Liberty Ship sailors and Officers, all were leaning over the railing, shouting down to them, good luck and thank you for an heroic job.
They waved back.
Smiling and joyful.
As if the way back, was a walk in the park.
They turned and headed into the fog on their compass heading.
We were at least 5 or 6 miles out in the channel.
The fog had settled in and we knew they would have a very rough, blind voyage home by compass, in 12 foot seas .....
I never knew the name of the Liberty Ship or it's commendable Master.
I never found out if the 4 soldiers,in their little amphibious vehicle, ever
got back to the beach alive.
I did find out that heroes,are not always connected to an enemy body count they amassed.
These 4 men, are some of the real unsung heroes you never hear about.
I can still see their smiling faces before they turned and hunkered
down to the arduous trip back,with water sloshing into the empty
DUKW.
Ironically, we were aboard the Liberty Ship for 2 days without a having a single Amphibious Vessel come out to us to unload her, because the weather had become more severe.
In hindsight, the heroic efforts of the DUKW crews that delivered us to their objective was fruitless.
The negative feasibility, of attempting to unload supplies could have been the turning point of the success of the D Day landings.
After the 2nd day aboard, the skies cleared a bit, and our supply ship proceeded to the beach, anchored, and we were able to deliver her precious cargo.

My Memory is Good but------

2007-07-24T14:26:00.001-04:00

I am encouraged by the many responses that have been coming in
so I have started showing my e-mail address on this site..
A contribution from you, along memory lane, would jog my memory further, to introduce some new subjects, long forgotten by most, about
stuff that is important to us.
Don't miss my post below Titled, DUKWs and Barrage Balloons

Wikapedia on DUKWs

2007-07-23T15:28:00.000-04:00

There can never be too much description on an unseen object.
Therefore I am entering this information on DUKWs from
Wikapedia that does the job more accurately than I could ever imagine.

DUKW
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search Click on this Link to see a DUKW.
DUKW

Specifications
Weight
6.5 t (14,320 lb)
Length
31 ft
Width
8 ft 2 in
Height
8 ft 10 in w/o ring mount
Crew
2-3
Armor
none
Primary armament
provision for an MG mount
Engine
GMC 6-cylinder 269 cid91.5 hp
Power/weight
14 hp/tonne
Suspension
wheels, 6x6
Operational range
354 km (road), 80 km (water)
Speed
50 mph, water 6 mph

DUKW

DUKW for the Boston Duck Tour
The DUKW (popularly pronounced DUCK) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was originally designed inside General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks.
Service history
Post-War use
Trivia
7 External links
The DUKW was designed by Rod Stephens Jr. of Sparkman & Stephens Inc. yacht designers, Dennis Puleston, a British deep water sailor, and Frank W. Speir, an ROTC Lieutenant out of MIT. Developed by the National Defense Research Committee and the Office of Scientific Research and Development, it was initially rejected by the armed services. When a United States Coast Guard patrol craft ran aground on a sandbar near Provincetown, Massachusetts, an experimental DUKW happened to be in the area for a demonstration scheduled to take place a few days later. Winds up to 60 knots (110 km/h), rain, and heavy surf prevented conventional craft from rescuing the seven stranded Coast Guardsmen, but the DUKW had no trouble, and the military opposition melted. The DUKW would later prove its seaworthiness by crossing the English Channel.
The DUKW prototype was built around the cab over engine six-wheel-drive military truck GMC ACKWX (a COE version of the GMC CCKW), with the addition of a watertight hull and a propeller. The final production design was based on the CCKW. The vehicle was built by the GMC division of General Motors (called Yellow Truck and Coach at the beginning of the war). It was powered by a GMC Straight-6 engine of 270 in³ (4.416 L). The DUKW weighed 7.5 tons and operated at 6.4 mph (10 km/h) on water and 50-55 mph (80 km/h) on land. It was 31 feet (9.3 m) long, 8.25 feet (2.4 m) wide, and 8.8 feet (2.6 m) high with the folding-canvas top up. More than 21,000 were manufactured. It was not an armored vehicle, being plated with sheet steel between 1/16" and 1/8" thick to minimize weight. A high capacity bilge pump system kept the DUKW afloat if the thin hull was breached by holes up to a couple inches in diameter.
The DUKW was the first vehicle to allow the driver to vary the tire pressure from inside the cab, an accomplishment of Speir's device. The tires could be fully inflated for hard surfaces such as roads and less inflated for softer surfaces—especially beach sand. This added to the DUKW's great versatility as an amphibious vehicle. This feature is now standard on many military vehicles.
The designation as a DUKW is not a military pun - the name comes from the terminology used for military vehicles in World War II; the D indicates a vehicle designed in 1942, the U meant "utility (amphibious)", the K indicated all-wheel drive and the W indicated two powered rear axles. Although technically a misnomer, DUKWs are often referred to as duck boats. Another popular nickname was old magoo or simply magoo. Though the origin of this term remains unknown, it probably refers to the odd shape of the vehicle.
The DUKW was used in landings in the Pacific, in North Africa, and on the D-Day beaches of Normandy. With the enemy holding all available ports, DUKWs carried 18 million tons of supplies ashore in the 90 days following the landing.
"Original Wisconsin Duck" in Wisconsin Dells
In the latter '40s and throughout the '50s, while Speir, now Project Engineer for the Army's Amphibious Warfare Program, worked on 'bigger and better' Amphibious vehicles such as the 'Super Duck,' the 'Drake' and the mammoth BARC (Barge, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo), a good many DUKWs were surplussed and put to good use as amphibious rescue vehicles by fire departments and even, coming full circle, by various Coast Guard stations.
Several were used by abalone fisherman of San Luis Obispo County California to take their catch right off the boats and directly to market, neatly combining the two steps of off-loading onto smaller craft, and then transferring to trucks once they reached the beach.
Many DUKWs are still in use, as well as modern, purpose-built, amphibious tour buses, primarily as tourist transport in harbor and river cities, such as Washington, Memphis, Boston, London, and Singapore - see article Ride the ducks. Duck tours, whether using actual DUKWs or modern amphibious tour buses, are generally very liberally spiced with humor, with drivers frequently wearing outlandish hats and/or costumes, and onboard PA systems frequently outfitted with humorous sound effects.
The Boston Red Sox celebrated their 2004 World Series victory with a parade of 17 DUKWs carrying members of the team over land and across the Charles River. The Seafair Pirates in Seattle use a DUKW modified to look like a Spanish Galleon as their primary means of amphibious transport.
Whenever a natural disaster or an emergency situation occurs, DUKW's are well equipped for the land and water rescue efforts. One particular duck built in 1945 was loaned to a fire department during the Great Flood of 1993 and in 2005, the vehicle spent 10 days rescuing survivors from Hurricane Katrina. The DUKW maneuvered through flood waters, transporting victims from their rooftops to helicopter pads setup throughout New Orleans.

Thanks for all the inquiries.
I hope this will be the last of "Yeah, but what is a DUKW?"

DuKWs and Barrage Balloons

2007-07-18T01:06:00.001-04:00

The Amphibious Truck. (DUKW)
The DUKW was used in landings on the D-Day beaches of Normandy.American crews in DUKWs,carried 18 million tons of supplies ashore in the first 90 days after the initial assault.This is more tonnage than all the combined British Services brought ashore for the remainder of the year.This is an important statistic because the British spent more than 2 years building The Mullbury Harbors, most of them destroyed by the weather or lost by shameful handling with a dear cost of lives. Some of the DUKWs specifications were;
Weight 6 Ton (12,000 lbs) Length about 30 feet. Width 8 ft Height 8 ft with a crew of 2.
Built by GMC it has a range of 350 km (road), 70 km (water) Speed 50 mph on land...and 7 to 9 Knots in the water.
When a United States Coast Guard patrol craft ran aground on a sandbar a few years before the war, it stranded seven Coast guardsmen near Provincetown, Massachusetts.
A new experimental DUKW happened to be in the area.
Winds up to 60 knots (110 km/h), rain, and heavy surf prevented conventional craft from rescuing the Coast Guardsmen, but the DUKW had no trouble. The DUKW would later prove its seaworthiness by crossing the English Channel.
The DUKW prototype was built around the GMC,six-wheel-drive military truck, with the addition of a watertight hull and a propeller. The vehicle was built by the GMC division of General Motors at the beginning of the war. It was powered by a Straight-6 engine.
More than 21,000 were manufactured. It was not an armored vehicle, being plated with sheet steel between 1/16" and 1/8" thick to minimize weight. A high capacity bilge pump system kept the DUKW afloat if the thin hull was breached by holes up to a couple inches in diameter.
The DUKW was the first vehicle to allow the driver to vary the tire pressure from inside the cab. The tires could be fully inflated for hard surfaces such as roads and less inflated for softer surfaces—especially beach sand. This added to the DUKW's great versatility as an amphibious vehicle. This feature is now standard on many military vehicles.
During the initial landings, most Liberty Ships and almost every large vessel, had a barrage balloon, overhead, suspended by a steel cable some 3 to 4 hundred feet in the air above it.
These huge balloons were about 40 feet long and were supposed to deter low flying enemy aircraft.
Fortunately, the absence of enemy aircraft can be attributed to the excellent results of the U.S and the Royal Air Forces.
These balloons were overhead for the few days before and at the beginning of the storms but they quickly disappeared after the first
3 weeks. They were winched in and discarded.
New vessels coming to the beach after then, no longer sported Barrage Balloons

A Candid Report in September.

2007-06-17T23:46:00.000-04:00

A candid report by American top General

Top General says his Iraq report will be candid Sun. Jun 17, 1:54 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
The top U.S. commander in Iraq said on Sunday he will have a good idea in September how well the troop increase has worked and will be able to provide a forthright report to the policy makers in Washington.
"We can provide a reasonable snapshot of the situation at that time and how things have gone in the surge, both in the security and then in the political and economic arenas," Gen. David Petraeus said on "Fox News Sunday."
President George W. Bush has said Petraeus' September report would be important in deciding the future of U.S. involvement in Iraq, but some in his administration have started to play down its significance to relieve some of the anticipation among members of Congress.
Petraeus made clear he thought it was important to give the president and Congress "some sense of the implications of the various courses of action that might be under discussion at that point in time."
"We all need to have very clear eyes about what can happen, what the implications of various options are and, again, just to assess those correctly," he said.
Democrats in Congress have used the September report as a benchmark for re-evaluating Bush's Iraq policy. Some Republicans also have indicated they might push for a change based on what Petraeus says.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said most senators in his party think September is the critical point.
"The proper time to really make a serious evaluation of the direction we ought to head is in September," McConnell said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Last week, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada created a bit of a storm by suggesting Petraeus might water down his report to relieve some of the pressure on Bush.
After complaints by Republicans, Reid said he had high regard for Petraeus but hoped that he would be "a little more candid with us" when releasing his report.
Petraeus said his report would be candid and will allow the policy makers to determine the course ahead.
"We'll provide a snapshot of where we are at that time and it will be a forthright assessment of what we have achieved and what we haven't achieved," he said.
The U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, said while Petraeus was giving the security and military report, he would provide the political and economic outlook.
"What we'll do is we will come back and jointly we will give an honest, forthright assessment," Crocker told NBC's "Meet the Press."

This News report was copied from my Yahoo Home page,June 17,2007 at 11:29.My question is, at the beginning of September or the end of September?It should be evident to most that it will be made at the end of September. That would be a few weeks before election day.

Candid? My guess is that the General will be replaced,fired,retired or forgotten, while this spin, on being candid continues. By the time September 30th rolls around, everyone will be so excited with the upcoming election, most people will have forgotten about this article. Except me! And you!

63rd D Day Anniversary

2007-06-11T21:42:00.000-04:00

Last week was the 63rd anniversary of the D Day Landings, in France.
I find it sad, that we have learned so little, about the great sacrifices of the young and eager men and women, in the war to end all wars.
Sacrificing is not always, to die for a cause, or being mortally wounded and dying of those wounds many months later when they have dropped off the radar.This is certainly much more than anyone expects of them. We hope they will return victorious and minimize their hardships so the next generation of gladiators will go blindly, into a full of adventure frolic, without fear and with the sense of immortality, oozing from every pore, into the cauldron. That is, until the day, one of their illusions is shattered by the sight of one unidentifiable corpse. That is when the adventure turns to reality. "My God ...Someone can get killed here"
A man jumps off a bridge in Oshkosh and the media gives his story
three columns , two pictures and 8 minutes of air time.
Eight servicemen are killed by a roadside bomb and a comment is made
two days later or not at all. Their body count is simply added to the monthly total.
We are so happy to read about our servicemen returning.We seem to keep forgetting how many are not.
Yesterday I wrote something about sacrifices. I digressed for a few lines and today, June 12th, I would like to get back to that subject.
Judge Judy Comes on at 4PM and the 5 o'clock news follows on the Fox network on channel 8. A lot of local news,weather, 7 children in a house fire, the PGA, baseball, the issue of "illegal immigrant rights", a mountain climber with an injured ankle stranded on a mount rescued by a ski patrol of 30 on the west coast, three seals returned to the L.I.Sound waters from Mystic, Connecticut. All this followed by the 6:00 pm news and from 6:30 to 7:00 pm Charles Gibson, with world news and national coverage. This 2 hours of "News Babel" did not contain one minute of what happened in Iraq. My point being, National Guardsmen enlist in this fine service for many reasons, none of which, is to go to some foreign overseas country to save and protect America. These men and women are sacrificing their lives, their children's welfare, their parents, and their spouses hopes and concerns. As a result of the Guardsman's absence, their families suffer greatly...causing them financial hardships, foreclosures on homes and the constant threat of death to their loved ones. Surely, when they sit looking for news in front of their T.V. and none is forthcoming, they must think that the world has forgotten them.

Incidentals to D Day

2007-05-17T02:36:00.000-04:00

Incidentals to D Day, are important to me and should certainly be of necessary knowledge to the rest of us. There are some facts that are givens, and never mentioned.These facts are lost.Here are a few that I intend to save for us.
My Company, had a rainbow like arc, painted in bright royal blue, a 3/4 inch wide stripe, in the shape of ,the top half of a circle ,with a 7 inch diameter, and open at the base,on the front of our steel helmets. I never researched the the origin of the colors that were used but the 90th Division personnel had a yellowish, red stripe.therefore assuming them to be other than Brigade, Regimental or Army Corp identity. Some others on the beach had light blue, white, green or shades of red.
Officers had their Bars, Leafs, Eagles and Stars painted in White under this singular,upside down cup shape. These Commissioned IDs were hurriedly removed as soon as it was found to be detrimental to ones health.In addition, many Officers removed all their Brass insignia or wore them under their jackets,making saluting , almost improper. I never found out what the designated colors meant. I'm sure they were important to someone. My C.O. once said in passing, that if there was one thing he would like to know before he got out was, why the Stripe at all, when it had no meaning to anybody.

A few days before going up the gangplank of the SS Pickett we were issued Life Preserver Belts. What is unique about these belts is their adaptability. We found ourselves using them for everything except for "life saving".These contraptions, came in so handy, that in hindsight,
I have to smile whenever they come to mind. Their composition was a soft rubber and cloth combination with two parallel inflatable compartments 48 inches long and approximately 5 inches wide. The thickness being less than one inch made them very transportable.
They were fastened on ones waist, with an adjustable buckle and a couple of snaps.Inside an opening at one end of its length was a devise that punctured a couple of C.O. cartridges. When the carbon dioxide cylinders released their contents, the gas inflated the belt. It became extremely buoyant .Presto! A Life Preserver .
These CO cartridges and the belts could only be used once and then the whole thing was discarded.
That is, until necessity became the mother of invention.
Medics started using them, for making wounded more comfortable while and after they were treated. Even as they waited for transport, the belts added warmth for the injured men who were on the beach.
I recall,later on,there were trucks picking up the discards.These belts made, excellent pillows, and mattresses, and great cushioning in the bottom of your foxhole when you had an extended stay.
At this moment I need a breather.
I would like to get back to the main subject of the landings, if I may.
Bear with me for a few days and my experience at H Hour on June 6th will follow.

re: "Paths of Glory" & "Private Ryan"

2007-05-10T01:11:00.000-04:00

Thought about it for a short time, and posted the following in these broken segments, as I collected my feelings and memory of a this film, from a long while back.
I will not try to give a review of the Tom Hanks or the other characters performances, because I don't have the credentials for evaluating these.
I can just mention the movie was tolerable and very shallow with development of the Ryan character when they finally found him.
Why didn't Ryan tell us he was interested in finding out how this whole
effort came about and why, in detail.
How he felt, before he decided to sacrifice himself.
With his death, the mission was aborted, and enabled the movie to end on a patriotic note.
Personally, I like "Paths of Glory" with Kirk Douglas.
Made in 1957, about the antics of the French Brass and their relationship to their enlisted men in W.W.I. This feature is closer to the truth about
how wars are really fought, with guile, hidden culpability, and spin.
Only the bottom line in focus. Whatever went wrong, I wasn't at fault.

" Private Ryan" Premise

2007-05-09T23:14:00.000-04:00

"Private Ryan" was well done and a a little too high minded for for a war story.
After all, "stop what you are doing, Captain, take this detail and find this individual",so that we can console a grieving mother from more grief. Huh!High minded ? This guy they wanted, was not some Congressman's son. Just a man,son of a Gold star mother of which, there were thousands of.
I know it was done with the Sullivan brothers in the Navy when some idiot put all 4 brothers on the same ship that went down.
But that's the Navy,not the Army. It would have to be fictitious fiction to happen in the Army. I cannot imagine the repercussions if one was to ask for this type of request. It took them 5 weeks to find my Paybook. I think I'm getting the hang of this, Miselaineous.

Opinion on "Saving Private Ryan"

2007-05-09T22:26:00.000-04:00

Private Ryan started off on the wrong foot for me because the plot concerned the preservation of some GI by some high "mucky muck"
in the Pentagon, for some high morality reason.
Immediately after the Captain and his detail get their assignment,
they are beyond the Allied front lines and plodding though an open field, with a full view of a wooded area 100 or so feet behind them in the camera shot, when they stop to get their bearings.
The Vertical White Stripe, painted on the back of every Officer's helmet, was the target of the day for the local sniper. Enlisted men, a Horizontal Stripe. They all still had stripes, even after they found Ryan,months later, when they got to the bridge.
We scraped off the paint at our first opportunity. Officers first, then us.

Positive aspect of "Private Ryan".

2007-05-09T18:42:00.000-04:00

The easy going attitude of the combat veterans with their superiors
was interesting to me because of its reality.
First name basis and no saluting was essential for direct communication without making you feel like a whipped dog who was being punished for not doing anything wrong. We took our orders and carried them out,from
guys we trusted with our lives at times, and these guys knew we were dependable to a fault.
I can't tell you anything about the bloody landing on Omaha Beach
depicted in the movie, but some people think it was,too bloody.

Blog misconception

2007-05-07T19:10:00.000-04:00

When I opened this Blog, I thought this was a way for me to inform
the curious about my experience.
I've been told that this is not how a blog works.

It seems that I should post something provocative to get a visitor
into some kind of dialogue of his or her choice.

If I knew how to do that, I would be publishing a book.
So, here I am.
How about flying our flags at half mast, all over the country, every day,
till the end of hostilities,for the brave men and women who die in Iraq
every single day!

Blog Reasoning

2007-05-03T19:28:00.000-04:00

I created this Blog simply because I could.
I am very proud in acquiring minimal computer skills at my age and would like to share some of my old "fuddy duddy" views with anyone
willing to listen.
Hopefully I can hold the interest of any prospective Blogger, digging
for a look at the last 75 years of my opinion or recollection.

Important Issues

2007-05-03T19:10:00.000-04:00

Important issues I would like to discuss are the following.Though not necessarily in the order of my concerned interests.
They are;
Political Spin
Media speculation on factual data.
Military corrosion,
Woman's rights,
American decline in manufacturing,
W.W.II

First response

2007-05-01T23:56:00.000-04:00

Now, I have received my very first successful posted comment.
A lot of serious questions have been asked, that require a lot of serious answers
I want this Blog to be a place that Veterans and the public, find answers
to this historical event of the Utah Beach landings as perceived by one who was there.Your questions are welcomed and my response will be quickly, honestly and accurately reported.

Daily Visit

2007-04-23T19:55:00.000-04:00

Made up my mind to visit my Blog every day
just to say hello.
All comments and requests for information
will be dealt with immediately .
Have not dealt with my own Profile yet but it is due soon.

2007-04-22T01:51:00.000-04:00

Welcome to this site today and feel free to communicate with me 24/7.
I will answer any reasonable inquiry.
Sofine.