Blog Posts tagged with "D-Day"
D-Day remembrance: A different side of the story
NORMANDY, France - Many stories about World War II have been told, but many more have not. While sitting in a coffee shop in Normandy, France, on the 68th anniversary of D-Day, I had the privilege of talking to 74-year-old Yeves Tariel. He was sitting with friends looking at an old black and white photo. I wandered over to him, curious to see the photo, assuming it was of him in an Army uniform from the 1940s, but to my surprise the photo was of two little boys in 40s garb. One little boy was wearing a Nazi helmet and the other boy, with a beret, was holding a toy rifle. It struck me, and I introduced myself to Yeves, who whole-heartedly accepted me into the conversation he was having with friends.
Yeves Tariel points to a picture of him as a young boy playing Nazis and the French Resistance in Lisieux, France, just before his town was bombed by U.S. planes during World War II.
In broken English, he continued to tell me his story.
As a 7-year-old growing up in Lisieux France, he was an innocent in a world war that he couldn’t have stopped.
“On June 6, in the evening, about 8 pm, U.S. Air Force bombed my city,” he said softly.
The German Nazis had captured his city, Lisieux, east of Caen. He and his family had hid in the basement of his home when U.S. bombers flew overhead and dropped bombs into the city. It was completely destroyed.
“The Germans took everything, the cars, motorcycles, all the vehicles and bicycles, but not my family. We were very lucky. At night, we went out of the city on bicycle,” explained Yeves. “I saw everything was destroyed, the country was nothing, it was all gone. My father said ‘Nobody hurt, nobody killed, very lucky.’ And we turned our head and saw our city completely destroyed. There was fire everywhere.”
But he continued to say that he and his family were very lucky and smiled at me. There weren’t any harsh feelings towards the U.S. He was completely thankful, even if it meant he lost his city.
“Every year I come back for the D-Day ceremonies, because it is my story,” said Yeves. “I was at the American Cemetery because every year I give my respects and on the 40th year, I ran into an older man from the U.S. Air Force and I spoke with him. I told him my story, he told me his story. He said he was a copilot of a B-24 (aircraft) and had bombed in Normandy. I said, ‘Where did you bomb in Normandy?’ He said, ‘I bombed in a city, uh … I don’t remember.’ But in the cemetery, there’s a big map of the country, so I told him to come with me, and to show me where. So, we go to the map and [he] moves his finger straight to Lisieux. He had bombed me! He said he was so sorry to have bombed my city, but I told him it was okay. He was a copilot. Your general tells you to bomb a city, you bomb a city. He was a soldier and he was following orders. This is war, and I was lucky. But this is the price for liberty.”
Yeves has come back to Normandy since 1964. The first time he came he drove his motorcycle and said that there were no celebrations.
“The young people had forgotten the war,” he explained. “They had seen such horrific things, they didn’t want to remember. But now there is so much remembrance, it’s great.”
Yeves had always been interested in war planes and helped renovate a C-47 aircraft for a museum in Normandy. He was talking with an old crew chief at one of the Normandy celebrations who said he hid a lucky penny in the aircraft, some place in the panels. As Yeves was renovating the plane, wouldn’t you know, he lifted a panel and there it was, the lucky penny.
“I still carry it around today,” he said smiling, patting his jacket pocket.
When he was asked why he wanted to renovate a plane that was part of the reason his city was bombed, he simply stated, “It’s a symbol. We must not forget that there was 827 C47s flying in the sky over Normandy on D-Day. The children must know the importance of WWII and what happened on D-Day."
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Because they served…
As a mother and military spouse, with three very active children, our household is much like any other family: the hustle and bustle of everyday life often distracts us from realizing how lucky we really are. In the few quiet moments I have, I often give thanks for being an American in the 21st century. Although these quiet moments are too few and far between, I realize that my right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,” wasn’t just handed to me, but fought for by the many who served and died.
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67th anniversary of D-Day: A living history book
I'll admit I've never been big on history, but there's something surreal about visiting the tiny villages our American Soldiers helped liberate 67 years ago. After meeting several D-Day veterans, walking on the beaches where thousands fought and died, and seeing the steep cliffs where they encountered enemy fire made history real for me. It's no longer just a documentary or war movie on television.
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The Most Important Week for EUCOM
Here we are in the middle of what I believe is the most important week of the year for U.S. European Command. On one end, a long weekend recently completed in honor of Memorial Day. On the other end of this important stretch of days - D-Day.
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"Dress right dress!"
This military verbal command, which is used to line up troops, is probably still ringing in the heads of the U.S., French, and German military members that lined up side by side in several ceremonies yesterday in the Normandy region of France.
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Passing the legacy of American troops one generation at a time
Last year when I attended the 65th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion, I left Normandy, France feeling the proudest I’ve ever been wearing the U.S. Army uniform. So this year when I boarded the MC-130 Shadow aircraft to Normandy, I was excited to return to a place where the American Soldier is so adored and appreciated.
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D-Day Paratrooper Keeps Watch from Church Steeple
I finally arrived in Northern France to St. Mere Eglise (SME). My hotel is located just to the outskirts of town and was an easy walk into the town square. It is a surreal feeling to walk through such a historic location without the aid of an Xbox game controller while playing the latest Call of Duty video game or through a production that either starred or was directed by Tom Hanks. Here it was in real life and it really feels like history is alive here.This small town was founded in the 11th century but will forever be known as one of the first towns to be liberated from Nazi Germany by the Allied Forces during the Normandy landings to include the 82nd Airborne and U.S. 101st Airborne Divisions on June 6th, 1944.
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D-Day's legacies live today
I’m new to EUCOM, new to Europe altogether, and I cannot imagine a better time of year: we just celebrated Memorial Day and the 66th Anniversary of D-Day is here. And I’m in Europe for all of it.
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A Memorial Day to Remember: On the Road to D-Day Anniversary
I was deep in the heart of France yesterday during Memorial Day as I'm on my way to provide support for the events scheduled in commemoration of the 66th anniversary of D-Day. I left out from our U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany and stopped at the halfway point on the way to the beaches of Normandy.
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