Yesterday, I posted the delightful story of how a World War II fighter pilot, who crashed his P-47 in an orchard near Parma, Italy, 64 years ago, has been contacted by the family of his Italian rescuers.
Today marks the 65th anniversary of the D-Day allied landings on the beaches of Normandy.
As our President honors the more than 9,000 Americans who gave their lives, many of the hero veterans of that day, will be present at Omaha Beach, or will be watching from home.
Sadly, their numbers are dwindling.
I don’t personally know any of the surviving heroes.
However, I do have a friend who, although he didn’t storm the beaches at Normandy on June 6 1944, was very much part of the preparations for that historic event.
I wrote about him on the occasion of the 2008 D-Day anniversary.
His story is equally relevant and admirable today:
Well, so happens I do have a friend who not only is a World War II veteran, but who was also part of that great historic day and that magnificent effort that, as Peter says, “marked the beginning of the end of World War Two.”
But what is even more significant is that I didn’t know that my friend had been part of that historic event–that is, until I received his note this morning. Significant, because although I have known this gentleman–and he is a gentleman in every sense of the word–for many years, he has never spoken to me about his participation in one of the largest and most heroic single-day invasions of all time, an operation that came to be known as “Operation Overlord.”
So today I will do what is really important and gladly and proudly follow Patrick’s advice and thank a good friend, Luther B. Bullock (“Burn”), for having been part of that amazing Day, and the preparations for it.
To be perfectly correct, Burn was not one of those young men who “hit the beaches named Sword, Juno, Utah, Gold and Omaha.” But Burn, as a young American GI in Great Britain, did significantly contribute to the success of the Operation by loading engineering equipment on the ships that sailed off to France’s Normandy beaches on D-Day.
Burn writes:
D-Day. Each June 6, I remember. It was 64 years ago today the invasion of France’s Normandy beaches. I was very fortunate that I only had to load ships at Cardiff, Wales, with engineering equipment that moved to the beaches of France.
The cemetery above the cliff at Normandy beach has over 10,000 soldiers who died that day and the next few days. It was a very sad time for those of us who were not in the ‘eyeball to eyeball’ fighting, but it was necessary to keep the fighting from the UK and USA.
Burn goes on to offer his prayers and appreciation to the brave soldiers who are now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. I join Burn in his prayers and wishes and, once again, I thank him for having been part of one of the greatest military success stories ever and for being part of “the Greatest Generation.“
Image: Courtesy www.history.navy.nl
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.