D-Day + 69 Years

[gun sane]

With so few left of these men who assaulted Fortress Europe on June 6, 1944, it leaves the responsibility of remembering D-Day to our generations.

 

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/06/d_day_vet_we_made_a_difference

 

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20130605/NEWS01/306050039/Remembering-D-Day-WWII-veteran-ranks-thin-those-who-remain-recall-invasion?nclick_check=1

 

[crossfire]

With so few left of these men who assaulted Fortress Europe on June 6, 1944, it leaves the responsibility of remembering D-Day to our generations.

 

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/06/d_day_vet_we_made_a_difference

 

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20130605/NEWS01/306050039/Remembering-D-Day-WWII-veteran-ranks-thin-those-who-remain-recall-invasion?nclick_check=1

+1 :usa: I agree with you 100% :up:

[Mike.357]

not even a mention of it on Knox News Sentinel, disgraceful

[Patton]

My grandfathers were too young to have been in WWII, but I think of a few WWII veterans I have known personally in my life. My old high school girlfriend was raised by her grandparents and her grandfather was a DDay survivor. I can't remember a single word he ever spoke of it. His granddaughter said he only spoke of it a few times during her life.

[peejman]

I had 3 great-uncles that were WWII vets, only one of them spoke about it much.  He was in the press corps and loved to tell stories. 

 

 

 

 

 

:usa:

[Guest TankerHC]

Hey, Thanks for starting this thread. I remember D-Day every day.

My Grandfather. PFC Wilmer Laurits Rehberger
Landed with 4th Infantry Division on Utah Beach. After they were well into the Rhineland Campaign the Leopoldville Disaster occurred and in December of '44 he was sent South as one of the replacement in the 66th Infantry Division for those lost on the Leopoldville. Finished out his service fighting with Company K, 2-262nd Infantry, 66th Infantry Division in the Naizairre Pocket in Southern France. He actually trained as a Clerk Typist at Camp Plauche, Louisiana. Traveling over he had concluded he was safe because he was a "Clerk Typist". Well, he only remained a Clerk Typist until he got to the 27th Regulating Station in England in May of 44, where he was re-assigned from the 258th Ordnance Battallion to 4th ID. The daily reports show that on 14 April '44 at Camp Plauche he was called and re-assigned from MOS 405 (Clerk) to MOS 186 (Receiving and shipping checker). The reason for that was that he had just completed training in Texas in Railroad Operations. They went on up to Camp Myles Standish, Mass. And went over to England. When he got to the Bivouc area outside Birkenhead he was ordered to report to a Lt' Beane. He and 145 other men, for reassignment. 63 of those men were Absent Sick. (Wonder why) and a total of only 12 showed for re-assignment. Up to that point he was only qualified with the '03 and '17. He was handed an M1 Garand at Birkenhead and told to "go play Infantry" (My words) and re-assigned to MOS 745 (Rifleman). I would bet he never thought he was going to leave England much less fight as a grunt through 4 Campaigns. One of his brothers was at D-Day, in the Navy on a Destroyer. His other three brothers were in the Pacific. 1 Navy, 1 Army and 1 Marine. His sister went to work at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in Sparrows Point, Maryland working on Ship Hulls. Literally a "Rosy the Riveter"

Campaigns:
Normandy
Northern France
Ardennes
Rhineland

Awards, Decorations, Accoutrements:

Combat Infantry Badge
Bronze Star x 2 (One for Valor, one for Service)
Purple Heart
Good Conduct Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 4 Campaign Stars
Honorable Service Lapel Pin (The Ruptured Duck)

On a final note he actually did get to use his Clerk Typist skills. When the war ended the 66th Infantry Division was assigned the task of getting the rest of the troops in Europe home. (Except those on Occupation Duty of course). They built pools, maintained beaches, ran the processing centers, set up hundreds of R&R tents and ran them. So even though my Grandfather was considered a high points man, he ended up being one of the last ones out and didnt get to go home until December '45.

He could have got a deferment because my grandmother was pregnant with my mother when he was drafter but he didnt. In the 70's I asked her why he didnt get a deferment and she said "In those days, if you were called, you went. If you weren't called, you went anyway. She said every man in the neighborhood was gone. And "Oh lord help the man walking through the neighborhood who was not in uniform. All of us woman would be sitting out front and if we saw a man walking through the neighborhood that wasn't in uniform we gave them hell". I pointed out that there were 4F's who couldnt go. She said that was BS, plenty of our men went who were draft board rejects went. They would get rejected, then go enlist in another service". My grandfathers brother in the Navy in the Pacific was one of those.

And yes my grandmother cursed (And was a good woman). She also said he was another one who never spoke about it. He came home, threw his medals and his war trophy (A German Flare gun, which my Uncle Larry still has) in a drawer and never even looked at them again. He was a member of the VFW Post in Greektown, Baltimore. My mother used to go there with him until she was 16 in 1958. She says in those days she didnt even know what the VFW was other than he would take her there sit around with a bunch of other guys and drink his 2 PBR's then leave. She says she cannot remember even one of the men there even mentioning anything about war. The only memories in my grandparents house. were the Medals my mother, aunt and Uncle used to sneak into the bedroom and look at in the drawer and if their mother or father came up the stairs they put them back in the drawer and got out of the room. When he left he was in perfect health. When he came back he had a scar that ran from his left waist for about 9 inches. To this day not one member of the family knows how it happened because whenever he was asked about it his response was always the same "Oh, its nothing". The morning reports show he was in the hospital a total of 6 times. 3 as a wounded, 2 sick and once as a non battle injury. It is actually annotated as Battle Casualty, sick and non battle casualty.

My Grandfather who helped save the world. (Notice what that is behind him)

PFC Wilmer Laurits Rehberger

Edited June 6, 2013 by TankerHC

[Mike.357]

Okay,  I give.  What is it behind him?

 

Great story BTW.

 

My father was in the Navy in WW2.  He was in Hawaii and repaired planes that flew off the Enterprise.  He had six brother who all were in various branches of the service, including Uncle Richard, who enlisted in the Marine's at 16 and fought at Peleliu (sp) and Okinawa.

[Guest TankerHC]

The photo was taking at St. Nazaire right after the war. He chose that spot for the photo because he was involved in the action in which the Tank Destroyer behind him, was knocked out.

[bikertrash2001]

not even a mention of it on Knox News Sentinel, disgraceful

 

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere today. Shame. Slap in the face of vets that are still around to have the media shrug it off so they can talk Amanda Bynes and gay marriage. 

[TMF]

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere today. Shame. Slap in the face of vets that are still around to have the media shrug it off so they can talk Amanda Bynes and gay marriage.

Even the History Channel is blowing it off.... The HISTORY Channel. They are marking the day by showing an all day marathon of "Pawn Stars".

[bikertrash2001]

Military Channel is picking up the slack tonight. 

[peejman]

Even the History Channel is blowing it off.... The HISTORY Channel. They are marking the day by showing an all day marathon of "Pawn Stars".

 

 

Not here.  I watched WWII in HD while at home eating lunch.  Episodes leading up to D-Day. 

[TMF]

Not here. I watched WWII in HD while at home eating lunch. Episodes leading up to D-Day.

Maybe H2?

I checked to see if History was doing a Band of Brothers marathon so I could DVR it. Nothing but Pawn Stars all day, then Swamp People.

F*** you History Channel.

[Guest TankerHC]

You all need to stop watching "The Ancient Aliens Landed in Mexico" Channel and watch those Documentaries on PBS. PBS gets blasted as a waste of Taxpayer dollars but they have some damn good documentaries. (Plus there is always Netflix and the rest) Without PBS we wouldn't have gotten Ken Burns "The Civil War" and the Classroom Lesson plans from it. As well as Baseball and the Ken Burns WWII Documentary "The War". Were paying for it, might as well watch it.

[peejman]

Maybe H2?

I checked to see if History was doing a Band of Brothers marathon so I could DVR it. Nothing but Pawn Stars all day, then Swamp People.

F*** you History Channel.

 

 

Could've been H2, I didn't really pay attention. 

 

 

You all need to stop watching "The Ancient Aliens Landed in Mexico" Channel and watch those Documentaries on PBS. PBS gets blasted as a waste of Taxpayer dollars but they have some damn good documentaries. (Plus there is always Netflix and the rest) Without PBS we wouldn't have gotten Ken Burns "The Civil War" and the Classroom Lesson plans from it. As well as Baseball and the Ken Burns WWII Documentary "The War". Were paying for it, might as well watch it.

 

Amen. There's some excellent documentaries on PBS.  The Ken Burns' documentaries are fantastic. 

[JWC]

I watch all them PBS docs. You see the one a couple weeks ago about the Ghost Army. It was pretty cool?

Both my grandfathers were WWII vets.


My wife's great uncle was something. WWII, Korea, & Vietnam vet. Was in the Marine Corps and the Army.

[runco]

I am very grateful for the greatest generation ever.  THANK YOU!  I do remember you, and I hold close to my heart what you did and the sacrifice and scars that occurred on June 6th, 1944. 

[Mike.357]

Even the History Channel is blowing it off.... The HISTORY Channel. They are marking the day by showing an all day marathon of "Pawn Stars".

 

 

History 2 would have been your friend.  2 hour show about D Day this morning at 8 am and repeated sometime this afternoon IIRC.  I watched it this morning.  They also did a bunch of WW2 in HD right after the D Day show.