D-Day 75th Anniversary – A Day to Remember the Sacrifices
Today is the 75th anniversary of the largest seaborne invasion in world history.
June 6, 1944 is known as D-Day. Operation Neptune began the liberation of German-occupied France. And later Europe.
The outcome of this campaign made the Allied victory on the Western front possible. Without it, there is no telling how World War II would have progressed and ended.
A Horrific Sacrifice
The consequences suffered by the Allies on that historic day were horrific. More than 4,400 killed and 10,000 casualties.
Of course, the well-fortified Germans suffered thousands of losses and casualties as well. And those numbers skyrocketed as the campaign continued.
My good friend, Frank Bates, has a direct connection with D-Day. He served on two U.S. Navy ships that were involved in the Normandy landings a couple of decades earlier.
I’m handing it over to Frank now to share some of his Vietnam wartime memories. As well as his thoughts about our active-duty troops and veterans.
Frank Shares His Thoughts
Thanks, Robert.
I was born exactly 370 days after American Forces landed on Omaha Beach to commence the Normandy Invasion.
That invasion ultimately liberated Europe from the Nazis. And led to an Allied victory in World War II.
So, I was not there. However, 25 years later as a young naval officer, I found myself at the conn of a U.S. Navy ship that WAS there. Right in the middle of things.
Landing Ship Dock Delivery
It was an LSD (Landing Ship Dock). You may think of it as a huge seagoing dump truck that shows up at amphibious landings.
That’s for the purpose of delivering and operating the landing craft. (In case you ever wondered how all those little death traps got there.)
Each LSD carried 30 to 40 of these little motorized cheese boxes crammed into a well deck.
Which, as the fun was getting ready to start, could be submerged sufficiently to float the landing craft. And allow them to start their engines.
Awaiting the Signal
When the signal was given, the LSD would open its tailgate and let out its swarm of landing craft to go alongside assigned troop ships.
There they would be filled to the brim with soldiers. They’d line up facing the beach, waiting for the signal to advance.
You’ve all seen the film footage about what happened next. By 1969, so had I.
In Vietnam, the LSD’s job was not so glorious. They hauled assorted junk up and down the coast. And because of their shallow draft and flat bottoms, they could navigate a good ways up the rivers to resupply equipment to remote bases.
I Was at the Wheel
They’d also serve as mobile repair facilities for river patrol boats. And later on, they transported heavily armored and fortified barges full of U.S. Marines to fight in the jungle. While everybody else picked their seats… for the movie.
The one I was on actually carried a couple of landing craft of the original type. Although I can hardly imagine they were original, since they were mostly in one piece.
I drove one a time or two. Think of the landing craft as a big plywood shoebox with a flat, oversized steel ramp flipped up in front. And an elevated wheelhouse shielded by a steel plate in the rear. With a sign that says “Aim Here.”
Landing craft were underpowered and hard to maneuver. And they had no guns and no armor. Other than the front ramp and aforementioned wheelhouse.
A Different Homecoming
I recall quite clearly my first time at the helm. I puzzled over what could possess any young man to climb down a cargo net into one of these flimsy things.
They’d be bouncing around and banging off the side of the ship to motor off with 50 other men. Right into the smoking meat grinder that was Omaha Beach on D-Day. What were they thinking?
I left one America headed to Viet Nam in the summer of 1968 and came back to a far different one at Christmastime in 1969.
When I got back I walked out the main gate at the Long Beach Naval Base for the first time. I was greeted by beautiful young girls (well, some of them were girls).
They were yelling “Baby Killer” and throwing dog feces. I realized too late they were aiming at me.
A Different War
That night I thought about those guys on Omaha Beach. Not the ones who lost their lives while they were still in the boats. Or the ones who died on the beach that day.
Or about those who drowned before they even got there. But rather the ones who made it back home after it was all over.
Would I trade their homecoming for mine? Please. Would I trade their war for mine? Probably not. My odds of survival were actually better.
I was young and somewhat naïve. I mean, I joined the Navy right out of college so I could go to Officer Candidate School (OCS) and chart my own course in how I served my country, rather than getting drafted into the Army and going straight to Viet Nam with only a little basic training under my belt. I ended up getting shipped over sooner than anyone thought.
Believe me, though, I knew the difference between what was at stake in World War II and what was going on in Vietnam even then.
Why Did I Go?
There were many other paths open to me that would have kept me out of Viet Nam… paths that I declined. So, why did I go?
Well, I am pretty sure I went for the same reason those guys climbed down those cargo nets into those boats on D-Day.
It was what people who wanted to be able to hold their heads up high were supposed to do.
Today, many of our brave young men and women are doing the exact same thing in various places around the globe.
Some Americans today don’t have the slightest clue what kind of sacrifice was made for them on D-Day. Or what kind of sacrifices today’s soldiers are making on their behalf.
But fortunately, many do. I know that you do. Thank you for being a vital part of the 4Patriots family.
Thanks for your service Frank. For all the brave servicemen and women who have served in the past and are serving now, I am ashamed to admit that I fulfilled my military obligation in the Army Reserve and not in the Active Army. I thought at that time, it was the smart thing to do so I wouldn’t waste a few years of my life serving on active duty soon after completing college. Many years later, I came to regret that I did not volunteer to be called up to serve in Viet Nam. Not having served in combat, I can now only support our veterans and serving men and women. God bless you all.
Sorry bout my verbosity. I’m a proud American enlisted, fighting man who volunteered for service in Nam. No regrets serving my/our country, but Very distraught about the humiliation upon returning home. I Copy your reply. So be it. God Bless America & all our vets, past & present, including my family who served in Union Army in Gettysburg, WWI, WWII & Iraq & to all present military personnel. Amen.
I’m a Nam Marine vet. (class of 66 in the South Vietnam school of warfare). I survived my tour almost unscratched. When i returned to the America I left, same as you, 17 snotty nose brats were calling us “baby killers” & throwing feces at our bus as we left March AFB. I asked the the driver to stop the bus outside the main gate. He asked why. Then I said I wanted to Kill those 17 kids. He refused to stop or I’d still be serving 17 consecutive lifetimes in prison. This wasn’t the America I left either. What a rude awakening to be greeted by kids too afraid to answer JFK’s call to serve my/our country. Amen.
Thank you for your service,Sir..I was on the LSD-27..MM2..May 1957 to June 1960..37 months aboard this ship between Korea and Nam,peacetime you might say. You know that I did not see or hear of one protester that had military service..mostly young people that had no clue what serving our country meant..I had the privaledge of speaking with a WW11 Sailor today.He was 96 years old (15) years older than I…I can truthfully say I was blessed to have met this wonderful man as we swapped stories of times long gone..I had tears when we parted as I do now just thinking of him and his service as a Gunners Mate..I stand and salute our flag..as I did ever morning in school as we said The Pledge of Alligeince..again thank you for your service and to all the vets that posted here and all those that served….Don
I was born in 1935 so I grew up during the great depression. My father kept getting deferrments from the War Department, as he was a superior construction engineer. In 1943 he was stationed in Tillamook, Oregon, building a blimp base. For the first half of that assignment we lived in a little yellow cabin on top of a sand dune in Bar View, just north of Garibaldi, a small fishing community to the north of Tillamook. One morning while we were eating breakfast and listening to the news, the broadcast was interrupted by a voice with a heavy accent telling us that alL that we had heard was false, that we were losing the war and that we should plea with our government to surrender. Later that morning, after Dad had gone to work, my brother and I were playing on the jetty. We saw the strangest floating craft on the bay. It was something we had never seen before, so we ran to the house to have Mother come take a look. After coming to look she shooed us into the house and walked the 1/4 mile to the Coast Guard station. They told Mother that they had seen the ship too, and that she was to keep us kids off of the jetty and preferably in the house. After dinner that night we heard a tremendous roar/explosion out in the bay. We shut off all of the lights and raised the window shades and the tape that we used to keep them tight so as not to let any light escape. Mother wanted us kids to go into the basement, such as it was, so that we could be safer. Dad said no, that we might just as well see history in the making, that if a shell hit the house, being in the basement wouldn’t help. So we watched for about half and hour or less, even though it seemed like 3 or 4 hours. We saw the lights flash from the gun barrels, heard the terrible roar, and finally the American ship lofted a successful hit and the submarine exploded. Then everything was quiet. We shut the windows and went to bed, though my brother and I whispered for a long time about what we had seen and heard.
Decades later we asked a friend who was an adjunct general in the Oregon National Guard to search military records to see what they had to say.
Absolutely nothing. The government was determined that the public would not know that we had the enemy that close to us. I never heard a word about that event until 1978 when another teacher where I worked had a sister who had been a WAC during the war and was stationed at the blimp base in Tillamook, She had told the family about that event. In those days no one ever spoke about anything military that they had seen. “A slip of the lip can sink a ship.” or so they told us at school. In fact, the total attitude was different then. We supported our troops no matter where they were located. We trusted what the government told us, and we supported the government in almost everything it did. The war in Viet Nam changed all of that, I’m sorry to say.
I was a 35 year old major when I was sent to fly combat flying a F-105. We Flew out of Thailand and tried to slow the arms and ammo coming down the Ho Che Min trail that ran mostly in Laos. We were shot at on every mission by anti aircraft fire.
When I came back I had to go through San Fransico and I will guarantee you I was spat on and accosted by the Harie
Chrishnas. That was almost as bad as flying a combat mission.
Thank you Frank for your service. I served 20+ years in the Air Force. My AFSC was a 29170 Communications. I also served in Vietnam years 1968-1969. Six months in Saigon and 6 months in Da Nang. When I arrived in Saigon our Plane with all aboard was greeted by the VC. Rockets and whatever was blowing up all around the plane. The plane was moved to one of the Hangers for protection. Thank GOD no one was hit. I served with MACV for 6 months in a Communications support role. After Saigon I was sent to DaNang just after the Base Bomb storage was hit. I served in a small shack next to the Marines. It seems the VC was continually trying to destroy their small unit. Luckily they were not hit. We were too far from the Air Force chow hall on the other side of the flight line so we were allowed to eat with the Marines. Boy were we eating good. The food on the other side of the flight line at the Air Force chow hall was not very good. We got steaks, seafood, and all we could eat. Not like the chow hall on the other side of the base. The food was rationed there. No seconds and food was rationed in small servings. Boy, did we guys have it made. We used to trade whiskey for the Marines steaks.
We sat outside on the second floor porch and
watched as the VC were trying to hit the flight line. Then when the Marines got a location where the VC were they took off to knock them out. I was fortunate to be able to return unhurt. I too was greeted with nasty comments at the Airport like calling me and others as “Baby Killers” . Thinking back, I was lucky to be able to come home unscathed. I did see some coming home in Caskets as they were unloaded from the back of the plane. I felt fortunate to be back in AMERICA again. GOD Bless the families that greeted their veteran home (Alive and Well)
Thank you Frank for allowing us to make comments.
Roger that , Smper Fi, got to VN spring ’69
Thank you for your service to our country and thank you for sharing your story
I was 10 years old when WWII ended. I remember the spontaneous celebrations. My family’s celebration was somewhat muted over the loss (on Saipan) of one of my 5 uncles who were serving in the military. A second uncle died later in a suicide, apparently caused by his inability to handle his memories of combat. A terrible but proud memory for our family.
Thank you Frank, for your service to this great country, thank you. My father was in Korea, stayed in after getting back and served just shy of 32 years. At one time he was Green Beret, then went on to be a Ranger, retired CSM SF Ron Rutherford. He was quite the army guy. He broke his back jumping out of perfectly good airplanes and went on to jump over 250 more times that the army told him not he would never again jump. He did it because he loved it. And he loved his country and would be ready to defend her at a moments’ notice. We just lost him in February 2019. I’m not sure they make that kind of man, he was one of the last of a dying breed, I only pray that our young men and women could learn from people like him. Thanks for the opportunity to speak this about my father. He made us all very proud. Quite a man he was.
Thank you for your service sir.. I’m sorry you were so mistreated on your arrival home. That should never happen to our military people.
I was Navy also; a plane captain in a fighter squadron; USS Coral Sea and USS Roosevelt. Frank thanks for your service. I also had nasty homecoming…jars of piss and crap dumped on me. How sad.
Thank you for your service. I remember shortly after D-Day the newspaper I was delivering carried the Headlines and story. I was still in High School and too young to serve but my brother served overseas and I followed to war on the news (I will be 90 shortly so I lived in that era).
Loved reading your history Robert. My father was a Pearl Harbor Survivor as was my mother. I lost a good friend in Viet Nam. I am thankful for your website. Thank you for your service.
Thank You, Frank Bates!
I salute you sir and all the others who sacrificed for our freedoms and I can never thank you enough. No words can convey how grateful I feel for men like you who are so brave. And I apologize for the ignoramuses who treated you with disrespect when you returned home.
My dad wasn’t at Normady on D-Day, he was at Anzio a little later. You should read up on what it was like there. If you want I have a newspaper article from then that I can send you.
God Bless each one of you abundantly 🙏🏼We honor you for your unselfish service and ask our Heavenly Father to Grace you with Health and soundness of mind🤗
I just wanted you to know that I am grateful!!
Hi! My name is Robin and I am a proud member of the American Legion Post 453 in Dallas Tx. I have had the pleasure of knowing many of our veterans from all different wars. My heart and my thanks to each and every one of you that has served our country.
My ex husband landed at Omaha Beach. What he told me was awful. He also said Omaha Beach was a just a diversion, the real invasion was Normandy.
I just thank you gratefully for your service.
I would just like to thank Frank for his service ,my dad was in Vietnam in the Navy also. He I believe road in the boats where he handled the radios and calls, my 2 grandfather’s were in ww2 and my uncle Vietnam, and my husband a Marine
Thanks for your story Frank. I also went to Vietnam Nam in 1968. I also had other options but chose to go the ROTC route. I was out side pleiku in a maintenance co. I wanted to do my part because I believe in what America stands for. I did not receive the reception you experienced as I arrived in Detroit around midnight from Ft. Lewis Wa. I have been moved all day by the D Day speeches and stories. Thanks for your service and keep the good work.
MY YOUNG COUSIN JOHN, ONLY 19, WAS KILLED IN THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE IN A COLONEL GEORGE PATTON TANK. DIED IN GERMANY AND BURIED IN HOLLAND AND NEVER TO RETURN TO AMERICA
I can fully relate to what Frank said. I enlisted in the Navy before completing high school. I received my draft notice half way through training. Nam was not a fun time. I was a corpsman serving with Marines. We were not allowed to wear our uniforms in town, which didn’t help. I developed a serious understanding of history after serving on my last ship, the USS Missouri BB 63. This ship was where the Japanese formally surrendered during WWII. Thank you Frank for your service.
MY SAD THOUGHTS ABOUT THE II WORLD WAR
First, let me thank you for your service! I protested the Vietnam Nam war but I couldn’t understand why people were treating the men coming back from that war so horribly. It was terrible how they treated them. They were so young and traumatized by it. I really felt discouraged by humanity at that point.
Thank you for your service.
First off I want to Thank You for your service. I firmly hold this belief Anytime you cross paths with a person you can identify as a vet Thank Them. They didn’t just serve 1 day. Thank active duty as well. I had two uncles on ships when Pearl Harbor was hit. A dear friend died in Nam for our country! I was born in 1943, my father was navy too. One of my privileges was walking with vets at Y & they shared their pain. God Bless all our vets.
Thank you Frank and Patriot crew.
I have a connection to D Day, My Dad landed on Omaha Beach on the 7th with his Tank Battalion, they made their through Germany. Very proud .
I also joined the Navy , June 67’ out of High School. I got the USS Ticonderoga CVA14.Stayed till 74’ .
Glad I got up with y’all. I am much more prepared now,
Thank you.
To our FREEDOM. Barry
I too served during the Vietnam era and was rewarded with insults and now when I wear my military cap and people say to me, “Thank you for your service,” I always reply, “Where were you when we needed you.”
Thank you Frank for your service,
I to am a Vietnam vet, I was told by 3 different Dr’s that there was no way possible I’d ever get drafted, just married, w/ a pregnant wife, bad back, ejected from a vehicle at over 100mph, and questionable kidneys, but somehow they said I was 1A. I served in a small Artillery outpost called Dau tiang and was nearly killed by our own doctors, not to mention rockets & morters almost daily, but that’s enough about that.
Upon my return I also was greeted with the protestor in the same manner you discussed. It took over 25 years before someone actually thanked me for my service. It would seem if you joined just out of college that your are a year or so older than I am, but I thank God every day for all the lessons in life I’ve been blessed with, especially when I think of the over 400 fellow classmates of mine that were drafted and never came home, praise God!
Again Frank, thank you for your service.
God bless you and all the Patriots like you that continue with your cause.
Carl Mattson
Wenatchee WA
Frank, Thank you for your service and welcome home. My welcome home came at the airport in Washington state. Three days before I was in the bush. My greeters were lucky I was just happy to be home.
I’m so proud to read the story of d-day and thank you for sharing. I was born with nerve deafness in my ears and was not accepted to serve, but I have great respect for all those who can and did.
My prayers and thanks go out to all the men and women who fight for this country so we may live in freedom. We must honor them each day for their sacrifice.
Yes many were treated bad when they came back from Vietnam one of my brothers was a marine and he got out in 1973 he is gone now though sighs and a friend of mine in college was a Vietnam Vet it got so bad for him he took his own life , Another bro says he went was in the navy , another bro went to Korea he too is gone now was a retired AF passed this past month , My dad was in the navy so he was in those other world wars , and here we sit people dissing our country , our flag , our right to bear arms , our freedom , I think we dodged a bullet when Trump became president but with Trojan horses in congress we all need to pray . God bless America and all who served !
Thanks for serving and thanks for sharing. There are enough of us to make a difference as long as we continue to tell the story.
CDR USN (Ret) 1986-2014
God bless you Frank! I was in the Navy for five years in the early ’70’s. NAS Corpus Christi, Tx. We had to wear our civi’s traveling home so we didn’t get spit On in the airports thanks to Hanoi Jane!
Thank you, Frank, for your service and for what you did.
Wow. Thankyou all for your great military service. I was so taken by your story. A movie. I’m enjoying the Patriot Power immensely. In 2 weeks my chronic fatigue about gone. I’ve given information to military in Iraq and others. Ordered more. Thyroid doc said but I love this drink. My deceased husband a war hero too. NAvy fighter pilot. Wll. 30 yrs. in Arlington today. I miss him. He be proud I found your group and help in his officers military magazine. I prayed. So exhausted. Thankyou. Patty marn in Florida now. Military widow.
This sounds contrite, but it is said with the utmost sincerity – thank you for your service, Frank. I was just speaking to an older gentleman who comes into our restaurant daily. He was a cook in the Navy during the Vietnam war. He actually started to cry a little when he said he got spit on when he came home. I wanted to hug him, but being a non demonstrative, aloof kind of fellow, I didn’t dare. I thanked him for his service and told him it was about damn time are Vietnam vets were recognized for the heroes they are.
My dad was in WWII in Guam and Guadalcanal. He never talked about the war except once, when neo-nazis were planning a march in my hometown of Auburn New York. He was a quiet Englishman, but he was so livid he was actually shaking. He said he didn’t watch his friends heads get blown off next to him just to have Nazi SOB’s marching down his hometown streets. Apparently the demonstrators caught wind of the general consensus in town, much like my dad’s view, and canceled the march. My point is, every service member has good and bad memories of whichever War they fought in. We need to support our vets and current service members, regardless of whether we agree with the fight or not.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. God bless.
Thank you for your service. I had two uncles the thought in World War II one was a sailor on a submarine and the other one was a marine Iwo Jima and later Japan. I never got to talk to my uncle the Submariner but my uncle the Marine told his story late in life and what a horrific story it was. Thank you to all of the veterans from all wars especially Vietnam and our current Wars.
Thank you for your service
I grew up on giving honor to those who served in WWII and other wars. They were our heroes— our dads, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and we took time out on Memorial Day and other occasions to salute them with an honor guard from the local American Legion—not always 21 gun—we didn’t have that many men but we mustered as many veterans as we had left in our small rural community to line up in the cemetery and fire their rifles. Flag ceremonies still draw tears to my eyes and I get choked up to say, “Thank you for your service.” I don’t like disrespect for the flag, our military, or our President (whoever he is). You do that and I would like you to be immediately transported to the battlefield—or sent back to whatever country you came from! At 77, having seen a good many other countries on 5 continents, I can say there’s every reason to be proud of ours and to do all we can to defend our nation, our Constitution, and Western civilization. God bless America!
Thank you, Frank, for your service. Many of us who did not support the Vietnam War at home, have come to realize how badly our returning Vets were treated. I pray that never happens again. We are the “land of the free, because of the brave.”
Thank you for your service, Frank!
I am also a Vietnam Era Vet who served in the USAF. I was honorably discharged in 1968.
Thank you for your services. I have lost relatives during that time frame, also. My grandmother was able to receive my uncle’s body in 1945 or 46. Buried with honors in North Miami, Florida. My oldest son, also military, sets flags on all the military graves he finds there.
6 June 2019
I too was in SEA and got the crazy vet greeting at home. Given that, put D-Day into perspective. From 1942 to 45 the Russians were stomping the Germans wholesale. From 1942 on, North Africa and Italy were retaken. The 8th Air Force from 1943 onward were taking on the best the Germans could fly. D-Day was an element in the strategy to take Berlin before the Russians. It was an achievement, but who remembers the Americans in WWI? When did we last celebrate the Inchon Landing during the Korean War? Time to put things into their proper perspective.
I WAS IN THE NAVY DURING VIETNAM . .ACTIVE DUTY 4 YRS . .MAY 70-74 . .INACTIVE (RESERVES) MAY 74-76 . .ENLISTED . AFTER BOOT CAMP AN SCHOOL IN SAN DIEGO . . .SENT TO A SHIP IN RHODE ISLAND AN WENT TO MEDITERRANEAN . .AN EAST COAST SHORE LINE TO CUBA . .VIRGIN ISLANDS . ETC .. . ASK FOR WEST COAST BOAT BUT DIDN T GET IT . .THEY WENT TO NAM . . ELECTRICIAN ON BOARD . .HONORABLE DISCHARGE . . .> > > > > . . .
Thanks for serving, Frank. My Dad was supposed to fly fighter cover on, D-Day. His base was socked in for 5 days…but he flew after that. My Mother, (Captain in the American Red Cross) and her crew were supposed to follow the troops the next day, she got trench mouth and was sent home. So I lived it through their stories of survival…like, Mother being 1 street over from a massive bomb in London. Definitely NOT fwagiwe wittle snowfwakes!
Thank you for your service. I am so sorry the homecoming for Viet Nam Vets was so disrespectful. Very shameful. Hopefully those protestors have learned to be proud Americans and understand now what our military did for them.
Thank you for your service during the Viet Nam War, Mr. Bates!
Thank you Frank, and all veterans! My father was in the pacific in WWII
Thank you for saving our country. God Bless You.
Thank you for serving our country. God Bless You.
I pray that we as a nation NEVER treat our returning military the way the Vietnam Vets were treated. We owe you all our debt of gratitude for your sacrificial Service. God bless you all!! Remembering DDay.
That was the military’s birthday present to me on my 7th birthday. I recall going around the neighborhood collecting newspapers, bacon grease, lard, old nylon hose, copper wire, tin-foil from gum packages. All of these were part of the war effort. My Mom worked for the government as many other women did. Thank God that the spirit of patriotism was alive back then and has been, to an extent, still alive today. We don’t have enough people volunteering to serve in the armed forces today.
I came back from a week’s vacation to find out my friend, Frank Arnold, 98 years old, had passed away in the assisted living where I play piano weekly to entertain the residents. He was a medic and served the whole of WWII. He invited me and my husband to look at his memorabilia which we were so glad we did. His duties were to save the other men and he received many awards I’m sure because he was a very selfless person. We’ll miss you, Frank Arnold.
My heart was so moved by your sharing, Frank Bates, b/c I knew how horribly treated the VN Vets were on their arriving home. Even tho’ I was a Canadian teen at the time, I just knew this war was oh so very different from WW1/2. This morning, I helped friends gather up table decor after our “Legacy” luncheon. He’s a Viet Nam Vet, but today, I asked him specific questions of his VN tour about what I never knew he experienced. He concurred about his unit’s return home…very similar to what you experienced. The media had it all wrong!!! My heart ached with sadness as he shared with me. My heart ached waaay back then, too, as a teen. I’ve always wanted to become an American citizen and I did…on Jan. 2008…legally!!! Am sooo proud to be an American and want to THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR GREAT COUNTRY!!! God bless you and others for your love for the USA, and for our President, Mr. Donald J. Trump, for honoring and building up our military!!!
I was a child in WWII and have heard the atrocities of the Japanese invader
s. I am very, very grateful to the Amer
icans for liberating our country from them. GOD BLESS AMERICA & THE PEOPLE WHO MADE OUR FREEDOM POSSIBLE!!!
My dad and 4 uncles were in WWII. My dad was in 5 major battles including D-Day & the battle of the Bulge. My brother was in DaNang VN. My grandson & nephew have been in the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iraq, etc) I couldn’t be prouder of all of them. My grandson is an EOD specialist. My nephew, an attack helicopter pilot. They are all the bravest people I know. They have given everything (except dying) for country. God bless ’em!
I too was in Vietnam. Home station was Tachikawa, Japan, USAF c-130’s. We would rotate in and out about every 30 days. Most of the time spent at Cam Rahn Bay.
I was there from 1967 – 1969. My job was just keeping C-130’s in the air so cargo and troops made it from here to there and back.
My story isn’t flashy like some, just saw it as a job that needed to be done. No one shouted at me or to me, just a few days before Christmas 1969.
Thank you guys and gals before me and those after me. Sleep well brothers and sisters of Vietnam.
WWII was my parents war…Vietnam Mine…I watched in shame and pain at the horrific way we treated our generations hero’s. To this day, I try to remember Vietnam and our dear young men who fought a war in a jungle of inhumanity …both there and then here. I’m sorry. My heart aches for those that served and died on D Day and my gratitude for my freedom is genuine…but for Vietnam Vets…you own a piece of my heart.
Thank you for your service Frank, my first husband served and there was no fanfare when he returned from Vietnam either. Much later when my niece returned from Iraq when her squadron who were already back came to greet them as well as family and friends. Our Vietnam men and women were shunned when all they did was answer their countries call to duty. Bless you
It was Operation Overlord not Neptune
A very special day.. two uncles survived The Normandy landing to go on and serve in the battle of the bulge and with Patton. Korea, lost a cousin, Vietnam , another cousin and class mate, brother served. My opinion: the media are responsible for how the vets. from .Vietnam we’re treated. All the films should be in a mandatory class from jr, hi up.
Like Frank, I joined the Navy to avoid being cannon fodder in the Army. Although via different routes and 30 years military reserve time, I retired from the US Army Nurse Corp, after a stint in Germany during Desert Storm. The men who went ashore on D-Day did not avoid cannons, machine guns or small arms fire. The sacrifice made by these men should not be forgotten. Unfortunately todays education system fails todays young and instead are mentored by people sympathetic to Socialist and/or anarchist callings. Hillsdale College is one of the bright spots among all the liberal indoctrination colleges. It is disheartening to watch the changes in how the US is represented in the media and on those college/university campuses. We need to speak up and out against the changes happening. Least our voices be totally silenced by political correctness.
Frank Thank you so much for you storyand for serving. God Bless you and all those who served so we Americans can live in free nation. Thank you and all their families. Blessings D it apatton
Thanks, Frank. I too feel strong affection and comradeship for the heroes of D-Day. Twenty-three of my cousins and uncles served in combat in WWII…five of them in Normandy that day, including one who died on the beach. A few years later it was my turn, when I served in combat in the Korean War…an honor and a privilege that was the defining moment of my life. Sam Perry
I am a patriot. I love the USA. My Father trained a lot of those men who were part of DDay. The sacrifice is great but never wasted. I am proud of the men and women who work hard to maintain our freedom.
You are a terrific American and person Frank. God bless you. My dad was also in WW2, Korea and Vietnam.