The Night of Nights

For years I have referred to June 5th as the "night of nights." This time it marks the 67th anniversary of the Allied invasion of western Europe. And living in the "post-Band-of-Brothers-world" that we live in, it is known by many that it was the American 101st Airborne Division (and Easy Company of the 506th) that jumped from the darkened skies that night, battled it out with the treacherous nazi occupiers, and eventually won the day for the Allies. But the Screaming Eagles of the 101st were not alone on that fateful night. They were joined by their "big brothers" from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division and the British 6th Airborne Division. And so this year, I felt that it was important to recognize those other paratroopers and glider-borne troops who fought so valiantly and captured and secured for the Allied forces their objectives on that night.

Of particular interest to me personally are the British paras known as the "Ox and Bucks" who captured Pagasus Bridge over the Orne River. A force of 181 men, led by Major John Howard, they took off from southern England in six Horsa Gliders to capture Pegasus Bridge, and also Horsa Bridge, a few hundred yards to the east. The force included elements of B and D Companies, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, a platoon of B Company, Royal Engineers, and men of the Glider Pilot Regiment. The object of this action was to prevent German armor from crossing the bridges and attacking the eastern flank of the landings at Sword Beach. Five of the Ox and Bucks' gliders landed as close as 47 yards from their objectives at 16 minutes past midnight. The attackers scrambled out of their crashed gliders, completely surprising the German defenders, and took the bridges within 10 minutes. They lost two men in the process. Lance Corporal Fred Greenhalgh drowned when his glider landed. And Lieutenant Den Brotheridge was killed crossing the bridge in the first minutes of the assault and thus became the first member of the Allied invasion forces to be killed in combat on D-Day. The Ox & Bucks were reinforced half-an-hour after the landings by the British 7th Parachute Battalion, and linked up with the beach landing forces upon the arrival of Lord Lovat's Commandos on June 6th. This photo shows the wreckage of one of the Horsa gliders and British forces marching over Pegasus Bridge.

Here is a photo of Lieutenant Herbert Denham "Den" Brotheridge. He commanded a platoon in Major Howard's 'D' Company of the Ox and Bucks and led a charge across Pegasus Bridge. He reached the opposite side of the bridge where he dropped a grenade into a machine-gun post. In the same instant he was shot through the neck. Mortally wounded, it was several hours before he died, but he was classed the first soldier to die as a result of enemy action on D-Day.

Lt. Den Brotheridge is buried in the War Cemetery in Ranville Churchyard near Caen, France. Ranville was the first village in France to be liberated. At the bottom of his marker it reads, "Out of the bitterness of war he found the perfect peace". Major Howard was informed of Lieutenant Brotheridge's injuries. He later wrote, "It really shook me, because it was Den and how much of a friend he was, and because my leading platoon was now without an officer. At the top of my mind was the fact that I knew Margaret, his wife, was expecting a baby almost any time." Denis Edwards, No.25 Platoon's sniper, wrote "every one of us was really distressed that Lieutenant Brotheridge should have been killed in that way at the very start of our mission. He was a man for whom we had the greatest respect. Like all our Airborne officers, he had never asked us to do anything that he would not do himself."

Iwo Jima Memorial & Arlington

On Tuesday, May 24 I had the incredible opportunity to visit the Marine Corps War Memorial (also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial) and Arlington National Cemetery. Both of these sites are truly national treasures and should be visited by every American. Around 1:00PM I grabbed a quick cab ride over the Potomac River from Georgetown to the Iwo Jima Memorial. When I got there, I saw that a platoon or more of Marines were on the grounds drilling for an upcoming ceremony or special event. That was pretty cool to see - and they were good! The memorial itself is monumental. I can not even describe the size and imposing power and emotion that the statue conveys. It is an absolutely incredible piece of art! I photographed the monument from all angles and circled it more than a few times. There are four informational markers surrounding the statue detailing the history of the Corps, the battle for Iwo Jima, the flag raising, and making the memorial. I left there feeling very inspired and overwhelmingly proud of my great uncle Bob Lauritsen once again and his service on Iwo. Semper Fi Bob!

After my time at the Iwo Jima Memorial I wandered down a road that I felt would lead me to Arlington National Cemetery... and I was right. Over the next hill I began to see them in the distance, the white stone headstones dotting the green landscape. I went in through a side gate and was immediately in awe of the scene which lay sprawled out before me. Perfectly aligned, row after row, each stone standing proud... and silent. The mood there is very somber but there is a pride in the heart of each American that stands among those stones. A feeling that our freedom was earned for us by these men, and we are so very thankful for all that they have given for us. A few rows into my visit I stumbled upon a grave that I never expected to see. On the back of the stone was a bronze plaque depicting the Iwo Jima flag raising, and as I walked around to see whose grave it was I was astonished. There before me was the final resting place of Rene Gagnon, one of the six flag raisers of the famous second flag on Iwo Jima. WOW!!! Uncle Bob had seen that flag raised on February 23, 1945, and now here I stood at the grave of one of those men. Unbelievable! I then ventured on and saw several Medal of Honor markers, President William Howard Taft's grave, General Omar Bradley's grave, and then finally John F. Kennedy's burial site and the eternal flame. It was quite a special day for me. I didn't make it to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard, but I'll be back someday.

World War II Memorial and the Wall

May 21st through the 24th I was in Washington D.C. for a work-related trip. I had the good fortune of traveling with my wonderful boss who was willing to do some sightseeing with me at a few of the military monuments and memorials. So late in the day on Sunday, May 22, our itinerary took us past the World War II Memorial and the Vietnam Wall. I wasn't sure that we would be visiting these memorials on this day so I was a little unprepared for the experience. And within a few photos of being at the WWII Memorial, the memory card on my camera said that it was full! I couldn't believe it. Talk about the worst timing EVER!!! So here are a few photos from the two memorials. I had to be very conservative in my process of taking pictures and, looking back on it now, I wish I would have tried some different angles or taken some different shots. But this is what I ended up with. The World War II Memorial is very spacious and open and the sound of the fountains calmly drowned out all the other noises of the bustling city. The Nebraska marker stands nestled among other state markers at the Pacific end of the memorial. The field of gold stars is presented behind an engraved marker stating. "Here we mark the price of Freedom." Each gold star represents 100 American service men or women who died in World War II, and believe me - it's a lot of stars!

On our walk to the Vietnam Memorial, we were harassed by a crabby Vietnam veteran of the 101st Airborne Division in a wheel chair. He was all bent out of shape about his benefits, about the VA screwing him over and the commie bullet still lodged in his back. He was also somewhat scornful of me wearing an "Airborne" t-shirt without having earned that distinctive honor. I felt bad for him but there wasn't much I could do. I thought it was quite ironic that I was getting chewed-out by a Screaming Eagle when the one person who I came to the wall to find was a 101st Screaming Eagle himself. So after flipping through one of the nearby directories, I was able to find the name of Donald Steven Waite, whom I have written about previously on this blog. I had planned to find the names of several other fallen soldiers, sailors and marines, but the daylight was running out, we were hungry and I had no more room on my camera. And so sadly for me, we pushed on and headed back to Georgetown. I left the two memorials inspired and in awe, filled with the hope that I will someday return and spend some more time at these two silent reminders of the cost of our freedom.

The Doolittle Raiders Reunion

On Sunday, April 17th, our group gathered once again at the Strategic Air & Space Museum to help celebrate the Doolittle Raiders 69th Anniversary Reunion. Four of the five surviving Doolittle Raiders took part in the Sunday brunch and autograph signing session, Dick Cole, Tom Griffin, David Thatcher, and Ed Saylor. Bob Hite may have been there earlier but was unable to be a part of the autograph session. Here is a James Deitz print entitled Early Launch that I was fortunate enough to have the Raiders sign. It was an amazing honor to meet these brave men, shake their hand, and give them a heart-felt "thank you."

April 18, 2011 marks the actual 69th Anniversary of the Doolittle raid. The raid marked the first strike against the Japanese home islands, and was carried out just over four months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The raid demonstrated that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack and gave Americans everywhere a much needed boost of morale. Sixteen B-25B Mitchell medium bombers were launched from the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier USS Hornet deep in theWestern Pacific Ocean. The plan called for them to bomb military targets in Japan, and to continue westward to land in China—landing a medium bomber on the Hornet was impossible. All of the aircraft involved in the bombing were lost and 11 crewmen were either killed or captured—with three of the captured men executed by the Japanese Army in China. One of the B-25s landed in the Soviet Union, where it was confiscated and its crew interned for more than a year. Thirteen entire crews, and all but one crewman of a 14th, returned either to the United States or to American forces. This photo shows a B-25 flying off the deck of the Hornet as helmeted Navy personell cheer them on. Despite the fact that none of the B-25 pilots, including Doolittle, had ever taken off from a carrier before, all 16 aircraft launched safely between 08:20 and 09:19.
Here's the crew of Airplane #1 from the 34th Squadron posing in front of their B-25 (#40-2344) on the deck of the USS Hornet. The crew is Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle (second from left), pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner. Lt. Col. Doolittle's bomber was the first over Japan and the first to drop its bomb load. The four incendiaries fell at 12:30 p.m. (Tokyo time) to incinerate a large factory. Doolittle then flew west to reach the coast of China after dark. By 9:30 fuel was low and unable to find an airfield in the heavy fog, Doolittle ordered his crew to bail out among the mountains of China. He then followed them into the night, his B-25 crashing on a nearby mountainside. The only injury sustained by any of the crew was a sprained ankle. Local Chinese escorted the Americans to Chuchow from where they eventually returned home safely.

Here is a B-25 bomber on permanent display at the Air & Space Museum. It has been painted to resemble one of the original Doolittle Raider aircraft.
All of the Raiders came through and looked at our exhibit as soon as they arrived. We even got a few comments from them concerning our uniforms and accoutrements. Here Tom Griffin examines our display of wartime U.S. Army gear. It was probably the greatest honor I have ever had during one of our unit display. Simply unforgettable!
This is an interior shot of a second B-25 that the museum has on display. This B-25 has a metal staircase and walkway running right along the main body of the aircraft. In addition, sections of the fuselage are cut-away so visitors can look right into the bomb bay and other areas of the aircraft. And compared to the B-17 and the B-29, this feels like a very cramped little cockpit.
Here's a life-size bronze bust of Lt. Col. Doolittle with a black and white photo of him used as a backdrop. This was behind glass so there are some interesting reflections and glares in the photo.
Jeff McCue and Matt Hazard look happy to be a part of the morning's activities. Jeff put on his favorite U.S. Navy work uniform and Mr. Hazard sported the Class A Wool Service Coat with khaki shirt and early-war black tie.
Ahhhh, campaign hats. Matt and I both love to wear this stylish piece of headgear often associated with drill instructors or stateside training.
Another portrait of Matt Hazard, this time in black and white. The distinctive unit insignias are of the 23rd Infantry Regiment.
A portrait of Mr. David Jameson, our unit president. He's wearing a set of mechanics HBTs and the M41 HBT Cap. Time to go work on an airplane!
Jeff had to get just the right angle on his white Dixie-cup hat. Jeff's ever-expanding U.S. Navy display keeps getting better and better at every event.
Here's Steve Baxter all decked-out in his M42 paratrooper uniform. Looking sharp!
This is our newest member, Eric. He's only just started building his impression but it's looking pretty awesome already. Way to go, Eric!
And finally, a photo of Sergeant Krelle in my khakis and campaign hat. I have a MIVA1 bag under my left arm containing the M2A2 Service Gas Mask. The shoulder sleeve insignia is the Hawaiian Department patch. The Hawaiian Department was the Army's largest overseas department. The Hawaiian Department's two main tasks were to protect the Pacific Fleet from sabotage and defeat any invasion. In April 1941 the Army Chief of Staff assured President Roosevelt: "The Island of Oahu, due to its fortification, its garrison, and its physical characteristics, is believed to be the strongest fortress in the world." If you've ever seen the movie, From Here To Eternity, this is the patch that Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift are wearing on their sleeve.