After several months of preparing itineries, making contacts
with several people, booking lodges for 7 family members and all other kind of
labor, at last, we almost leave for Normandy. On Friday 4th, mowing the grass at
home, I got a phone call from Peter Van De Wal. He asks me if we can have dinner
together with several 506 PI - Easy Co members, "In half an hour, is it possible
?".
I think I am going to die on the spot. Because my lodge is
only available from Saturday 5th, I am still in Belgium. I was going to get up
at 3 AM to leave at 4 AM on Saturday. I feel a little unwell... "Sorry Peter, I
leave only tomorrow, I am still in Belgium.".
We make arrangements to meet each other on Saturday. I have a
bad feeling. This week in Normandy will be the saddest week of my life. It can't
be, can it ?
I can't sleep so rising at 3 AM isn't hard at all. My family
members arrive on time, my cousin has the trailer and 1943 Willy's Jeep.
Everything seems OK, we leave and in about 7 hours we reach our destinations in
Géfosse-Fontenay, close to Grandcamp-Maisy and Pointe-du-Hoc. Close to our
lodges is a '29th Infantry Division Camp', 'Camp Cota'. Most of the guys are not
in the camp, but we meet some people and we can take some pictures... Later I
find out I missed one of the residents of the camp, who is one of the members of
WBG (Wild Bill Guarnere forum, the WBG-community). Too bad, but you can't meet
everybody, too many things to do and see, and so little time...
Camp Cota - Grandcamp-Maisy
Because of the massive crowd on the roads to Ste-Mère-Eglise,
we miss the huge parachute drop. We are blocked in the traffic. I am asking
myself "Now what have I done to deserve this ?" Then a phone call from Peter :
"Where are we going to meet ? Clancy's with me, he is fine and looking forward
to meet you !". This is the first good news in hours... "Peter, we have a
dropping from a real antique C47 'Skytrain' in Angoville-au-Plain tonight. I was
invited by our mutual friend, Hans Ettes, member of the Dutch Currahees. It is
close to the center and known as Dropzone D. Can we meet there at 7 - 7:30 PM
?". "OK.....!".
Our gite (French for lodge) looks perfect, also with our jeep
(at the left)
and the jeeps of our Dutch 'neighbors'
Driving around in our Willy's is more fun than you can
imagine,
also because we meet a lot of other drivers.
(Thanks to Rob from Chezlafontaine for being passenger and taking pictures)
ANGOVILLE-AU-PLAIN: JUNE 5, 2004, AT 7:30 PM, WE MEET CLOSE TO DROPZONE
D.
Clancy has arrived.
Left is Peter Van De Wal, then me talking to Clancy
and on the right Clancy's companion and Vietnam veteran Frank Maio
It's warm, so let's have a drink....
I got this beautiful BOB card signed by Clancy (left)
Official Medal Presentation
On June 5th, here in Angoville, I gave Clancy the Official
60th Anniversary Remembrance Medal from the City of Bastogne, with the
accompanying Charter.
I arranged this with Miss I. Collet from the Bastogne Veterans
Department of the City Hall.
It was an honor for me that I was allowed to do this, and the City was glad I
wanted to do this on their behalf.
If I got lucky (at last J) I
will arrange a Medal Presentation later this year in Bastogne for Bill Guarnere,
Babe Heffron, Shifty Powers and Forrest Guth. Keep your fingers crossed or burn
a candle for me please...
Handing over the Medal and Charter to Clancy
The official
Medal with the Charter
Watching the jumps and the Douglas C47 'Skytrain' on Dropzone D,
At the dropzone :
Kenneth Moore (506 PI) , Clancy, Frank
and Elroy Huwe (501 PI) with is wife
Map from June 1944, belonging to David Rogers (506 PI)
Hans 'Doc' Ettes (Dutch Currahees) in the middle,
and Gene Cook (506 PI), at right
Gene Cook (506 PI)
Chutists waiting to board at Cherbourg Airport
View inside of the plane
View from the inside of the C47
The dropzone
The most beautiful picture of all, by Peter Van De Wal
I guess I'll have to get a better 'zoom'...
Not all the chutists landed on
the dropzone,
some of them in the trees, another one on a car...
Clancy with our family...
All vets got a 'taxi' to take them to and from the dropzone.
COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER: JUNE 6, 2004 the 60th D-Day commemoration at the US
War Cemetery.
Thanks to
Peter Van De Wal for a portion of the text and pictures.
Passes to get in...
Thanks to perfect advice from someone on the WBG boards, who
gave us the fax number of the 'Prefecture de Police de Caen' and the name of
the person to contact, we received what is called a 'stick'. This 'stick'
was needed on June 6th if you wanted to drive around with your car in the
'secured area's'. The Prefecture did not send the 'stick' to our homes, but
only to the owners of the gites where we were staying, so we only found that
out when our gite mailed us to tell us they received an envelope with our
names on.
On June 5th I also got another present : passes to enter the
U.S. Ceremonies.... My luck is changing for the better...
On June 6th my wife and I rise at 7:00 AM and we leave at
8:00. We got our first checkpoint between Grandcamp-Maisy and the Pointe Du
Hoc. French gendarmes in sight, three cars in front of me. They all have to
turn back. I am nervous, do I have the right documents ? "Bonjour Monsieur,
vous avez un laissez-passer ?". Yes I have, I show it to him. OK, everything
is all right. He just asks if I can lay it on the windshield to make it
easier for the other checkpoints. No problem of course... Between this one
and our final destination Colleville-sur-Mer I will have been checked about
12-15 times. There are Police and American MP's everywhere, with small arms
and heavier weapons, all along the road. It looks just like a siege,
no, it is a siege. We are allowed to move into a special parking place
close to the beach, 'only visitors'. The U.S. Army picks us up with shuttle
buses and brings us to the entrance. I have never experienced something like
it and my guess is I never will again, but this is something that will be in
my memory for life, that's for sure...
The stick
The badge (front)
The badge (rear)
The Ceremony
The massive Allied operation in Normandy was the largest amphibious invasion
in history, drawing together more than 130,000 troops, 5,000 ships and
11,000 aircraft. At the cemetery, 9,386 American servicemen are buried.
Another 14,000 were interred there when the war ended, but later were
exhumed and buried at home as their families wished.
12000 visitors...
A lot of veterans wanted to visit this 60th commemoration to be in Normandy
for the last time. About 12,000 were present. White haired men, who
displayed their emotions openly and who received countless requests for
their autographs or to pose for a picture. They did it with huge patience
and with pride in their eyes. Truly "The greatest Generation."
When people took some time to talk with them, they noticed that all the
veterans spoke about the ones who never came back. "The real heroes" as they
were called.
The guns for the
21-gun salute, here at dawn...
A view of the crowd, 10:30 AM
In the sea at Omaha Beach there was a line of battle ships
The commemoration was coupled
with huge safety measures, the biggest one in years. French Air force and
anti-aircraft defence was ordered to clear the sky above Normandy during the
commemorations. At least 16 heads of State attended the commemoration, among
them Queen Beatrix of Holland, Queen Elisabeth of Great Britain, George Bush
and President Poetin of The Russian Republic.
It was the first time a German chancellor of the federation attended the
Commemoration of D-Day. In his speech Schröder said that the scars from two
World Wars, the people of Europe, especially the German people, are
obligated to fight against racism, anti semitism and totalitarian regimes.
During the commemoration days 9,000 French soldiers assisted 8,600 policemen
in the area.
Two squadrons Mirage 2000-fighter
planes, fifty Army choppers and anti-aircraft defence was in charge. Between
Deauville and Cherbourg was a radar network to track aircraft above Normandy
during the commemorations.
COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, Standing among the dead and before the dwindling number
of living World War II veterans, President Bush on Sunday saluted U.S.
soldiers who gave their lives on D-Day and proclaimed, "America would do it
again for its friends." He promised the white-haired veterans who 60 years
ago stormed the beaches of Normandy, turning the tide of the war: "You will
be honored ever and always by the country you served and the nations you
freed."
The emotional morning was made even more
solemn following the death Saturday of former President Ronald Reagan -- a
hero and ideological role model to the current White House occupant. French
and American flags flew at half-staff in his memory. Bush recalled Reagan's
visit to Normandy 20 years ago. "He was a courageous leader himself and a
gallant leader in the cause of freedom, and today we honor the memory of
Ronald Reagan," he said.
Bush stood beside French President Jacques Chirac at the Normandy American
Cemetery above Omaha Beach. They joined in a wreath-laying at a memorial,
which was followed by a 21-gun salute that spewed smoke into the blue sky, a
sombre rendition of taps and a flyover by four
ground-attack A-10 jets. (below)
U.S-French relations have been strained recently over Iraq but neither
president mentioned that, even indirectly. "America is our eternal ally, and
that alliance and solidarity are all the stronger for having been forged in
those terrible hours," Chirac said. Bush said "our great alliance of freedom
is strong, and it is still needed today."
Bush spoke of "men not far from boys who found the courage to
charge toward death and who often, when death came, were heard to call,
"Mom," and, "Mother, help me". We think of men in the promise years of life,
loved and mourned and missed to this day."
To aging veterans interspersed in the audience, some of them
in military uniforms and others in wheelchairs, Bush said, "America honors
all the liberators who fought here in the noblest of causes, and America
would do it again for our friends."
Remarks by President Bush and President Chirac on Marking the 60th
Anniversary of D-Day
The American Cemetery
Normandy, France
POINTE DU HOC, ISIGNY-SUR-MER, ARROMANCHES - JUNE 7, 2004.
Still a lot of
visitors on Pointe Du Hoc,
and heli's flying around for security measures...
View on the famous 'rock'
The bunker and the monument, not accessible (yet)
Relief of the American (security) military,
with 2 Black Hawk choppers.
Vierville-sur-Mer : a very beautiful sand sculpture on Omaha
Beach.
Ceremony in the centre of Arromanches
Veterans parade
CAEN, MEETING WITH WILDBILLGUARNERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS - JUNE 8, 2004
On Tuesday Nathalie 'Frenchie' Varnière organised a most wonderful
and lovely meeting in a park in front of the Caen Memorial, a park with
a beautiful fountain and full of roses. She couldn't have picked a
better place. I feel very sorry for the ones who couldn't attend this
meeting, because the view was splendid and it was a once in a lifetime
opportunity to meet some of our friends from the 'boards'. As always,
beautiful things don't last long enough, so we were a little sad when we
parted, but of course we had a good feeling about this unique event...
THANKS A LOT NATHALIE FOR
ORGANIZING IT !
The garden, Magnus and Krystian (Norway)
Nathalie (Frenchie) and me.
A snack and a chat, and a wonderful time...
'FuzzMiller' (Texas) :
" Can ya put a caption with it saying
that I am having a wonderful time, that the expression you captured is
not how I am really feeling at the time of the picnic or of the wonderful
trip, and getting to meet all these great people, that I can now call as my
friends ? "
COLLEVILLE AND STE-MARIE-DU-MONT : THE BRECOURT MANOR - JUNE 10,
2004
On June 9th, we went to
Cherbourg, the Cité de la Mer, which is very beautiful. We even visited an 'old'
nuclear sub. It was not allowed though to take pictures....
On June 10th, it is our last
complete day in Normandy. We returned on June 11th to Belgium. We had beautiful
weather until yesterday, but now it's raining so we decide to do some shopping
and hope it gets better, which it does in the early afternoon.
Colleville-sur-Mer
On behalf of a family member
we went to Colleville Cemetery
to look for the grave of Mr. Stanley Stockins (506 PI), Chicago, KIA on June
6th 1944.
At the Cemetery I received a file with documentation, which I sent to the
family.
(We wanted to do this on a
more quiet moment, not on June 6th.)
Ste-Marie-Du-Mont
The church of Ste-Marie-Du-Mont
A view from the top of the bell tower :
the road to reach the Manor...
Brécourt Manor
Inside of the property
The road in front of the Manor,
behind us it leads to Utah Beach,
coming from Ste-Marie-Du-Mont on this view.
The Brécourt Assault happened here,
300 yards from the Manor in direction of Utah Beach,
at your left hand side...
Back home on June 11, it has been a TERRIFIC
journey...
Nathalie and 'Custermen', thanks
for checking my English !
