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WLIU
06-05-2014, 12:06 PM
Since Mr Geenwood is always posting about famous people here, I thought that today I would say a few words about a couple of veterans that likely no one reading this has every heard of.

70 years ago, right about now, two individuals who I have been privileged to know were getting ready to take part in what Eisenhower called "the great crusade". Then 17 year old Carl Beck was gearing up to make his first combat parachute jump into St Mere Eglise with the rest of the 82nd Airborne. Carl recounted that there were a lot of 17 year olds who had enlisted to fight the good fight.

Carl made it through D-Day, through the jump into Holland, came home to raise 6 daughters, and in 1969 the phone rang inviting him for another jump into St Mere Eglise. All of the paratroopers from that era stay in touch. Inside, every one of them is ready to go again. Carl jumped into St Mere Eglise for the 25th, 30th, and I think 35th commemorations. They have long memories in St Mere Eglise. If you were there the night of June 6, 1944, you can do no wrong in that town. They have a museum dedicated to the men who liberated them that night. And after the re-jump into St Mere Eglise, Carl took up sport skydiving and made another 1000 jumps. Helped teach me the art of free fall flight among others.

Ben Kendig was flying a very special C-47 that night. His job was to deliver Colonel, later General, "Jumping" Jim Gavin to St Mere Eglise with his staff. Gavin started the tradition, carried on to this day, that an airborne commander goes out the door with his troopers.

Ben once recounted an interesting story from that night. As they motored low across the English Channel towards France, one of Gavin's aides stuck his head into the cockpit. "The Colonel wants to know if you would like a souvenir?". Ben recounted that he was very startled by the question. Busy with flying the airplane, Ben says that he replied "Tell the colonel that I'd like one of those German flags.", thinking about the small flags that are displayed on vehicles. The aide disappeared for a couple of minutes and then reappeared stating "The colonel says he'll get you a flag."

Back to work and a while later Ben's airplane was over the DZ, Gavin and his men went out the door, and the airplane headed home empty.

Three weeks later, at the base in England, a package arrived with Ben's name on it. Ben reports opening it and finding a flag. Not a small vehicle flag. The 15'x25' battle flag from the German commanding general's HQ.

50 years later Ben visited St Mere Eglise and the museum. Mentioned that he had the flag and donated it for display.

After D-Day Ben transitioned into photo-recon P-38's. Took interesting pictures that had to wait 50 years before they could be shared. Came home and became a corporate exec. Flew a Mooney for recreation.

Two guys you never heard of who did their part.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS

Bill Greenwood
06-05-2014, 01:55 PM
Great story, Wes, but please call me most anything, a liberal, a Democrat, a Texan, old and fat, but don't call me Mr. anything. When I hear Mr. Greenwood I think of my Dad, and he is not here anymore.

I really like one story from the D Day celebration in 2004. There were a group of paratrooper vets who wanted to reinact their jumps into the Normandy area. At first the U S Air Force was going to cooperate and fly them on C130 jump planes. Then some jackass got involved and canceled the planes, saying the men were, in their 80's, too old and might get hurt. The old guys, to a man, said they were jumping in France and even the FAA would not stop them and they got several private C-47s and made the jumps and without anything more than a sprained ankle. They very logically pointed out that no one was shooting at them this time and for some if not all that jump in 1944 was the most significant thing they ever did.

I have never had the courage to jump, and am sort of scared of heights, but maybe that day they were more scared of Germans than anything else. May they all be safe again.

I fell bad that I am not there this weekend, but the real guys can celebrate and remember, and we will see it on tv.

Mayhemxpc
06-05-2014, 06:29 PM
I was there for the 45th anniversary, an official representational trip with my unit in the 3d Infantry Division. In June 1944, 3 ID was in Italy, not Normandy, but that made no difference to the French in Normandy that week. Very appreciative of what American soldiers did and the celebrations, low key that year and almost all put on by the local people, were heartwarming. (This may come as a surprise to some, but generally speaking, the French actually like Americans – and especially in Normandy.) Jump ahead 13 years and I am back again, this time with a church choir trip from Kentucky (I don’t sing, but my wife does.) The tour guide asks if I would like to narrate for this portion of the trip. Sure. Saving Private Ryan was released the previous year, so this should be easy. “OK folks, who has seen saving Private Ryan…<crickets>… “oh, this is going to be just swell.” There was little enthusiasm until we pulled into the cemetery. At that point everything changed. It was like Helen Keller discovering the word “water.” After seeing those thousands of crosses, finding names from Kentucky, and generally being overwhelmed by it all, they wanted to know everything. The beaches – and especially Point du Hoc -- are awesome. St. Mere Eglise and the memorials are truly touching. The cemetery puts it all in perspective. If you do not leave that placed humbled…well in my opinion you are not fully human.