I was only 19 at
the time. I had grown up in Southern Georgia and helped my Pa around the farm.
All was fine until 1942, that's when I heard the stories. Stories of how entire
families were shoved into ovens and slowly roasted alive, stories of how
millions of Jews were being sent to concentration camps and were beaten,
starved, gassed, and raped. That's when I decided to join the Army. I
couldn't sit idly by and watch as fellow human beings were ruthlessly
slaughtered.
I joined
the Army in early 1943 and finished training a year later. I was immediately
shipped to England to prepare for the invasion of Europe. For months I
memorized my battle orders. I was to go with my unit to Omaha Beach and
secure a landing point for the main army. The officers told us what we would
face: barbed wire, machine gun nests, landmines, concrete walls, and some of
Hitler's best troops. They said it was the largest amphibious invasion in history. Over
160,000 soldiers from four different nations were preparing to invade
Europe.
The night before
invasion, I went to the chapel service. I wasn't a praying man, but
I figured it was best I became one. I heard how if we would trust in the
Lord He would give us wings like eagles so we could overcome any challenge. I
quietly left chapel with a heavy heart. I tried to get as much rest as I could, but I
could only manage to a get few hours’ sleep before I left to board the ship. An hour before the
invasion, I boarded my landing craft.
The night was
cold and the sea was rough. The water chilled me to the bone. Several of the
boats had capsized due the rough waves. We attempted to avoid being swamped by
the surf by using our helmets to bail water. I could feel my stomach churn as I
thought about the coming battle. I
looked into the distance and could see the beach. The closer we moved to the
beach, the more frightened I became. A
half a mile out, our boats began to receive artillery fire. I watched as a boat
just 50 feet away took a direct hit. I watched in horror as I saw bodies fly
into the air. A helmet landed in our boat, bloodied.
I looked on as
our boat inched closer to the shore. I made eye contact with my best friend,
Joe, and nodded. It was about time to land. I said a short prayer as I felt our
Higgins Boat make landfall. Our front door came down and we stormed the
beach. I was first one out. I took five
steps then instinctively hit the dirt. I heard bullets whizzing over my head. I
looked behind me and saw most the men in my boat gunned down. Joe made it out
somehow. I looked at my watch: 7:00am.
I slowly made my
way up the beach as I witnessed hundreds of soldiers blown to pieces by mortar
and artillery fire. I look behind me for a brief second and saw that the ocean
had turned blood red. Bodies floated in the surf. Men were struggling to wade
through the surf and their comrade’s corpses.
I then looked to
my left and saw Joe, yelling at me. He was only 20 feet away, but I could
barely hear him over the roar of the battle. Then the unthinkable happened. I heard
the whining screech of an artillery shell and watched in horror as Joe was blown
to pieces. I still remember his last words: “Keep moving! Don’t give up!”
Shrapnel from the shell embedded itself into my leg. I cried out in pain.
For a moment, I
wanted to die. I wanted to be back home with my folks. I missed the farm. It
would be picking season come shortly. But then another artillery shell brought
me back to reality. It landed on the other side of me, spraying sand
everywhere.
I again looked
around. As far as I could see I saw dead men, many of them my age. I lay in the
sand near the seashore for what seemed like an eternity, then I thought of
Joe. I remembered his last words: “Keep
moving! Don’t give up!” I then recalled why I was on that God-forsaken beach. I
was there because I was fighting for freedom. The freedom of the Jews, the
French, the Poles- to protect my family back home; I was there to fight for
liberty.
I felt a renewed
purpose as I began to crawl towards the German defenses. The going was tough.
It’d take five minutes just to gain an inch of ground, and for every inch of
ground I watched at least ten men gunned down around me. I looked at my watch
again, 9:00am. I looked behind me and I
saw something that made my heart jump. The amphibious tanks were on the beach!
Finally, I thought, some heavy support!
I began to make
my way up a nearby bunker. I pulled out a grenade and eyed the bunker
carefully. I pulled the pin, sat up on one knee, aimed at the window, and
heaved the grenade. I saw it plunk off the bottom of the bunker. I hit the
dirt.
Sand and
shrapnel flew everywhere. I pulled out another grenade and tried again. This
time I hit my target. I heard screams as the grenade went off, then they were
silent. One less bunker. I heard a
thunderous boom as a nearby tank opened fire at a bunker. Our men were making
progress.
Time crept by
once more as we made our way to the sea wall. A mine took off a soldier’s legs
to my right. Shrapnel tore into my arm. This time I gritted by teeth and
plunged on. I crawled slowly, trying not to make myself a target. I could hear
the screams of the dead and dying all across the beach. Tanks, artillery
shells, and machine guns made it almost impossible to understand any orders.
My watch read
10:00am. The sea wall was only 75 feet away. I watched as the engineers slowly
moved towards the wall. I saw three brave men make a break for the wall; one
was killed instantly. I saw a German stand up on the wall to lob a grenade, so
I aimed my M1 Garand at the enemy soldier and pulled the trigger twice. I saw
my opponent grab his chest and fall backwards. Seconds later, I saw a flash on
the other side of the wall. I had saved two lives.
I carefully watched for more German as the two men placed
explosives at the bottom of the wall. One went back for more explosives while
the other continued to prep the charge. I watch in horror as a German machine
gun sawed off the runner’s legs. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground.
I still don’t fully recall what happened next, all I
remember is yelling “Give me cover fire!” as I ran to carry the wounded engineer
to safety. I dragged the man behind a small mound and helped the medic stop the
bleeding. Several minutes later, I jumped as a massive explosive erupted behind
me. The engineers blew a hole in the wall!
I fell in the sand overcome with joy. We were on the verge
of victory! An hour later, there were three more holes in the wall. Our men
began to move towards to breaches and soon we had five thousand men prepared to
storm the German defenses. Then I heard the command to charge. At first no one
moved, then I saw ten men charge at once. Seven were shot, but more quickly filled their place. Soon, thousands of men were pouring through the breaches, myself included.
I remember a man with a flamethrower approaching a
bunker. He poured fire through the window, and I saw five men run out of a
hidden door. I watched as the fire consumed their flesh. I will never forget
their screams.
At noon we finally succeeded in securing a major
beachhead. The fighting continued, but not as fiercely. As the day began to
conclude, I was told to have some rest, so I went to a nearby campfire and
drank a cup of hot coffee. I remember feeling relieved that the day was over, sorrow for the friends I lost, and proud of
my accomplishments. I felt weary as I thought of the long road ahead to Berlin, but I knew that I would just have to make that journey one step at a time. Despite the chaos around me, I would sleep well knowing I had done my duty.
