Captain Dale Dye, talks to Tracy Young of CNN, about D-Day and the launch of The Americans on D-Day. Dale has been a massive supporter of ours. He is firmly committed to the cause of teaching the younger generations about the achievements of these great men and women. We will never be able to thank him enough.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Unsung Heroes
Medics in combat are often the unsung heroes. As one combat veteran said to us,
“I can’t speak highly enough about those guys. We could be under an intense artillery bombardment, they would hear a wounded man cry out and they would just get up and go without any fear for their personal safety.”
We had the great honor to meet one of those heroic men during the D-Day celebrations. Fred Morgan was a combat medic in the 505 p.i.r of the 82nd Abn. He dropped into Normandy with his buddies on D-Day and cared for the wounded at the battle of La Fiere Bridge, “The bloodiest small arms battle ever fought by the U.S Army." We cover this battle in our film, The Americans on D-Day.
Fred went on to care for the wounded in Holland and the Battle of the Bulge, before taking part in the final assault on the German Reich.
Notice the four bronze stars on Fred’s jump wings. Each star is an award for valor.
Maureen Kennedy award
Livingbattlefield attended the first award ceremony for The Maureen Kennedy Memorial prize. The ceremony was held in the gardens of the lovely Château de L’Isle-Marie, close to the bridge at Chef du Pont, one of the key D-Day objectives for the 82nd Airborne.
The $10,000 award, which is given to deserving groups who help preserve the memory of people who fight for freedom, was shared between ‘Operation Democracy’ of Locust Valley, NY and the Normandy group, Amies des Veterans Americain (Friends of the American Veterans).
The ceremony was presided over by Maurice Renaud, youngest son of the war time mayor of Ste Mere Eglise and was attended by veterans and many visitors from across U.S.
Not Heroes?
It's been a wonderful experience following 101st Airborne veteran, Jim "Pee Wee" Martin, on his first trip back to Normandy since he landed on D-Day, 67 years ago.
Yesterday, he signed Ellwood's tail plane, in the C-47 Cafe. Afterwards, we spoke in the courtyard outside the cafe. During our conversation, we referred to Jim as a hero. He was quick to correct us, saying he did not consider himself a hero.
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| 101st AB veteran, Jim "Pee Wee" Martin signs the tail plane at the C-47 Cafe. Ellwood Von Seibold looks on. |
Yet, after stories of bitter cold and lack of provisions he spoke of in The Americans in the Bulge, and listening to him go through the horrors of Normandy, the facts speak for themselves. Sorry to contradict you, Pee Wee!
One thing is indisputable, Pee Wee Martin is an inspiration. We were touched by the soldiers lined up outside the closed cafe, waiting to shake his hand.
Ste Mere Eglise, Welcomes British Vets
Sixty British veterans, including a very rare former WWII SAS trooper who dropped into occupied France to aid the Maquis (French underground) in communications, arrived yesterday, to pay their respects to their American allies and lay a wreath in memory of those Gi’s who lost their lives.
The small ceremony, which was held at the Sainte Mere Eglise Airborne Museum, was hosted by Ellwood von Seibold. No one from either the town council or the museum management was available to greet these old warriors, so Ellwood, who is fast becoming the face of Ste Mere Eglise in the U.S, stepped into the breach, to issue a welcome on behalf of the town.
Preceded by bagpipes and a drummer, the old soldiers, some in their early nineties, marched up Rue Eisenhower, past the famous church where an effigy of American paratrooper John Steele hangs from the bell tower.
“We all had our jobs to do” said veteran Don Baker of 21 SAS (pictured on right). “The American Gi’s caught the worst of the D-Day slaughter. It’s only right that we should make this trip to honor them."
Friday, June 3, 2011
Up Above Them
Lt Col. FC ‘Hap’ Chandler, a WWII B24 pilot navigator, wandered into Ellwood’s café in Ste Mere Eglise during the 2008 D-Day celebrations. This unmistakable ‘Georgia’ boy, with his rich Southern accent and old world charm stood beside the famous C47 tail piece and said in pretty audible tones, “You're gonna have to get me a ladder, 'cos the only place I’m gonna sign this thing is up there” pointing to the uppermost part of the tail, which had been signed by hundreds of veterans.
“I was up above them in WWII and I’m going to stay above them now.”
A ladder was duly provided and the 88 year old flyer deftly climbed the steps and wrote his signature and a short message at the very top.
After accepting a cold beer as recompense for his exertions, he turned to us, the roving film crew and said “ Ok boys, let’s do an interview." There followed, what can only be described as one of the most lucid, detailed and entertaining descriptions of service in WWII that we have ever had the privilege to film.
Hap has been a great friend to all of us and he makes an appearance in The Americans on Hell’s Highway This little film was made for him, as a tribute to his service.
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