At Ease June 2024

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Eli Wohlenhaus

80 years later...

Growing up, I remember being in awe every time I met a World War II veteran. I remember ceremonies at church or school around Veterans Day when the speaker would ask veterans from *blank* war or conflict to rise and thinking it was “cool” to see someone from WWII. And I will never forget a moment that really impacted me — when my history teacher tearfully pointed out how big of a deal it was because there were “not many left.”

That was well over a decade ago and I will never forget it. About 5 years ago I got to listen to Woody Williams speak at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and it was so impactful.

I write these stories out because this edition of At Ease has the privilege to share some incredible stories in honor of the heroic efforts of our military on June 6, 1944. These stories moved me and they moved the writers and photographers.

We think they’ll move you, too. So, please enjoy and please give us feedback on what you read. And if you have a D-Day story, let us know. We love to hear your stories!

80 years later the actions on D-Day still inspire

Story By Alice Swan Historical information and photos provided by The U.S. Army Center of Military History

Dawn, June 6, 1944: One can only imagine the thoughts of the German soldiers manning bunkers above the shoreline as the lightening sky revealed the massive Allied armada of some 1,200 warships and 4,126 landing ships off the Normandy coast. Under Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, 133,000 Allied troops, including 73,000 from the United States,* were in their landing crafts, preparing to storm OMAHA, UTAH, GOLD, SWORD and JUNO beaches.

At the same time, three companies of the 2d Rangers, led by Colonel Rudder, were scaling the cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc. The 225 Rangers were charged with the audacious mission of capturing the German battery there, to stop any artillery fire on OMAHA Beach or the offshore fleet.*

Earlier, 24,000 American and British paratroopers had

dropped behind enemy lines to capture bridges and roads and halt any German counter attacks as the fighting moved inland.

Operation OVERLORD was underway.

Eighty-years removed from D-Day it is hard to comprehend the scale of the Allied invasion into Europe. And as the World War II generation passes, with only about 110,000 veterans left of the 16 million Americans who served in WWII, and only dozens remaining who survived D-Day,* opportunities to hear their first-hand accounts are being lost.

Thankfully, the impact of D-Day has been preserved in well-known films, countless books, in museums and by the military’s own History Centers, all sharing perspectives of that “Longest Day.”*

For At Ease readers, Dr. David W. Hogan, Jr., a historian with the U.S. Army Center of Military History, has provided a short history lesson on D-Day, to inspire your own journey to learn more about Operation OVERLORD and its heroes.

UTAH Beach, by Joseph Gary Sheahan, 1944

Why was Operation OVERLORD important to the war effort and when did the planning begin?

D-Day was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. The Allies could putter around the perimeter indefinitely — and the British were prepared to do just that — but to come to grips with the heart of German power, the Allies had to establish a Second Front on the Continent. Discussions about the cross-channel attack went back to America’s entry into the war, but real planning began in April 1943 with the establishment of COSSAC (Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander) to prepare initial blueprints.

What were some military objectives that had to be completed before the landings, to ensure OVERLORD’s success?

The key to the invasion was which side could build up combat power faster. Also, Operation FORTITUDE was critical. This operation, including the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops Special Troops and 3133rd Signal Service Company which recently received the Congressional Gold Medal, worked to deceive the Germans. If the Allies could keep the Germans uncertain about their real intentions,

their chances of success increased exponentially. Where were invasion troops, vessels and equipment staged before D-Day?

American forces staged out of southwest and western England, the British and Canadian forces further east. The Allies took care to disguise their preparations, creating a dummy force opposite Calais. It became easier as they established more air superiority. The Exercise Tiger* rehearsal disaster involving a U-Boat raised fears that the Germans may have discovered something. No German alarms were ever detected.

When did the Allied military leaders know the invasion was a success?

In the narrower sense, Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, the American ground force commander, knew the landings at OMAHA were successful when he heard about noon, June 6th, that the Americans were starting to advance from the beaches. UTAH rapidly achieved its objectives, and the British and Canadian beaches likewise had relatively quick success. Still, it would take another week at least before the Allies could feel the beachhead was secure from counterattack. Key elements that led to the success were:

OMAHA Beach, by Joseph Gary Sheahan, 1944

surprise, German confusion at high command levels, weak defenders everywhere but at OMAHA, Allied naval gunfire support, aerial and Resistance strikes against German communications, and small unit leadership on the beaches.

Were there lessons learned from the invasion that affected military strategy going forward?

Cooperation among the services was critical. None of them could have done the job without the others. Likewise, careful planning down to the details. The Allies spent so much time on the actual landings when they probably would have been smarter to devote more attention to the drive inland. Many historians have criticized the Americans for not making better use of British armored devices — the so-called “funnies” — to counter minefields and provide close support for the assaulting infantry, but the Americans did adopt amphibious tanks, which generally foundered in the rough channel seas before they could reach shore. What are some good resources to help everyone learn more about the D-Day invasion?

First on the list is the website for the U.S. Army Center of Military History, https://history.army.mil/. The

Center of Military History provides exhaustive treatment of the invasion in Gordon Harrison, Cross Channel Attack, and Forrest C. Pogue, The Supreme Command.

Shorter treatments are the monographs Omaha Beachhead and Utah Beach to Cherbourg; also available is a brief pamphlet, Normandy, by William M. Hammond. All of these are available in PDF on the CMH website.

Of the vast literature on D-Day, perhaps the most notable works are Antony Beevor, D-Day: The Battle for Normandy; Peter Carrick-Adams, Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France; Stephen E. Ambrose, D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II; and Cornelius Ryan, The Longest Day.

*Eisenhower Presidential Library

*https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/smallunit/smallunit-pdh.htm

* ‘The Longest Day,’ based on Cornelius Ryan’s book, a 1962 movie about D-Day, filmed at the major battle locations in France.

*Data from National Museum of World War II.

*https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/7-4/7-4_8.HTM

LST unloading in Normandy, by Harrison Standley

The artists on the beaches

At the start of World War II, the Corps of Engineers established a War Art Unit in late 1942. The War Art Advisory Committee, a select group of civilian art experts, nominated military and civilian artists to serve in the unit. By the spring of 1943 the committee had selected 42 artists: 23 active-duty military and 19 civilians. The first artists were sent to the Pacific Theater, but in May 1943 Congress withdrew funding from the program and the War Art Unit was inactivated.

The effort to create a visual record of the American military experience in World War II was taken up by the private sector in two different programs, one by Life magazine and one by

Abbott Laboratories, a large medical supply company. When Life offered to employ civilian artists as war correspondents, the War Department agreed to provide them the same support being given to print and film correspondents. Seventeen of the nineteen civilian artists who had been selected by the War Art Committee joined Life as war correspondents. Abbott, in coordination with the Army’s Office of the Surgeon General, commissioned twelve artists to record the work of the Army Medical Corps. These two programs resulted in a wide range of work by distinguished artists who had the opportunity to observe the war firsthand.

From U.S. Army Center of Military History

Normandy Sabbath, by Lawrence Beall Smith, 1944

Wrecked German Pillbox, by Manuel Bromberg, 1944

The Way Back, by Lawrence Beall Smith, 1944

F rom the nation ’ s coasts to the n ormandy shores – U nited s tates

c oast G U ardsmen helped the a llies s U cceed in W orld W ar ii

Story by Alice Swan

History and photographs provided by United States Coast Guard Atlantic Area Historian

Visitors to the Global War gallery at The National Museum of the United States Army* are immediately struck by the large diorama of a Higgins Boat and Soldiers climbing aboard. But there is a surprise in the scene many don’t expect: manning the boat are figures wearing the distinctive insignia USCG, representing United States Coast Guardsmen who were members of the Allied invasion force.

As the nation recognizes the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, it’s important to include the Coast Guard’s contributions on June 6, 1944.

In his booklet, “The U.S. Coast Guard at Normandy,” published by the Coast Guard Historian’s office in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings, author Scott T. Price wrote that the Coast Guard was an integral part of D-Day.

“The service’s presence centered around Assault Group “O-1” that landed troops of the famous First Division, the “Big Red One,” on the easternmost beaches of the OMAHA assault area.”

The Coast Guard also participated in the UTAH, GOLD, SWORD and JUNO Beach landings. Price noted that four Coast Guard-manned LSTs trained with and carried British troops and equipment to the landings at GOLD, JUNO, and SWORD. The Coast Guard also partially manned many U.S. Navy and Army vessels and provided the Allied fleet with some of its own cutters, Price shared.

But Coast Guardsmen had been playing a key role in the nation’s war time efforts well before D-Day. In early 1941, the Coast Guard assumed oversight of the Greenland Theater of operations, related to equipment and material transport to England. The Guard’s responsibilities included convoy duty, search and rescue and defense against German infiltration by submarine at

Coast Guard gun crew on the LCI(L)-85 responds to enemy fire on D-Day.

American ports and beaches.

By November 1941, the USCG was ordered to operate as part of the U.S. Navy. On December 7, USCGC Taney served as an anti-aircraft vessel against Japanese aircraft and performed harbor and antisubmarine patrols alongside the Navy at Pearl Harbor.

In the following years, the Coast Guard was patrolling the Atlantic Ocean coastline for German U-Boats, while also providing convoy protection. In the Far East, the USCG was assisting the Navy in its fight against the Japanese Army and Navy. Coast Guardmanned ships landed Allied troops in Sicily, September 1943, the first time American forces were fighting on European soil. It established a world-wide navigation network called LORAN and introduced the first helicopters in history for use by the US military.

In his booklet, Price said that in the weeks leading up to D-Day, “landing-craft crews were trained in small boat handling, ship-to-shore movement, and beach landings and retractions. They also received training in beach-party operations, beach markings, salvage and general maintenance. Coast Guardsmen and Navy sailors also trained together in joint exercises with the army assault troops.

“They practiced small-scale landings along the British coast and made five full-scale practice assaults

at Slapton Sands, whose beaches were similar to those at Normandy. Captain Miles Imlay’s Flotilla 10 participated in many of the exercises as did most of the Coast Guardmanned LSTs and transports.

“The intense training and the experience gained during the Italy invasions were critical to ensuring a successful landing of troops and supplies on the beaches.”

On D-Day, Coast Guard cutters, Coast Guardmanned warships and landing craft participated in the landings at Normandy, France. Imlay commanded a Coast Guard-manned landing craft flotilla and was also the deputy commander of an assault group attacking OMAHA Beach. He directed the incoming landing craft and transports from the flotilla’s flagship USS LCI(L)-87 off OMAHA all day on June 6 and took over command of the assault group that night. Four Coast Guard-manned LCI(L)s were lost at OMAHA that day. Sixty cutters sailed in support of the invasion forces, acting as search and rescue craft for each of the landings. A Coast Guard manned assault transport, the USS Bayfield, served as the command-and-control vessel for the landings at UTAH beach.

As Price noted in his article, “the Coast Guard’s role during the D-Day landings has often been overlooked, but its contribution to final victory cannot be denied. The Coast Guard manned approximately 100 vessels for (the operation) and lost more vessels that day than at any time during its history. The rescue flotilla saved more than 400

men on D-Day alone. As at North Africa, Sicily, Italy and throughout the Pacific, the Coast Guard was instrumental to the invasion’s success. An admirable record for the United States’ oldest continuous seagoing service.”

To learn more about the Coast Guard’s missions on D-Day and throughout World War II, visit the USCG Historian’s website, https://www.history.uscg.mil//. You’ll find historic photos, the Coast Guard’s timeline and stories about the service’s amazing legacy. There are also links to books and publications for history buffs of all ages.

* The National Museum of the United States Army is located at 1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, VA. While entry to the museum is free, registration is recommended by visiting the NMUSA website https://www.thenmusa. org/. Operating hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Coast Guard rescue ships like these saved some 400 military lives on D-Day.

The D-Day diorama at the National Museum of the United States Army, featuring Coast Guardsmen manning the Higgins Boat.

Airborne operations played key role in D-Day invasion’s success

By Alice Swan Map provided by Airborne and Special Operations Museum

The Airborne mission highlighted in the ‘D-Day: FREEDOM FROM ABOVE’ exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Army was essential to the success of the Normandy beach landings, shared Jimmie Hallis, Curator of the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum (ASOM) at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.

“If the Paratroopers and Glider Riders had not seized and held critical bridgeheads and road intersections, and destroyed German units stationed near the beaches, the enemy could have sent reinforcements to slow down and stop the landings,” explained Hallis. “Many more men would have died on the beaches trying to secure a foothold onto Fortress Europe.”

Code named Operation NEPTUNE (as part of Operation OVERLORD), the mission included the U.S. Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, as well as the British 6th Airborne Division. Both U.S. divisions had different, specific mission objectives. The paratroopers jumped or rode gliders into combat under the cover of darkness prior to the seaborne invasion on the beachheads. Each U.S. Army Airborne Division had one regiment of glider forces, often called Glider Riders.

What many may not realize is that airborne operations were still in their early stages at the time of D-Day. According to Hallis, for the 101st Airborne Division, this was their first combat mission, and first airborne assault. They were sent in just before the 82nd Airborne Division to gain the element of surprise. For many of the men of the 82nd Airborne Division, this was their 3rd airborne assault into combat. They were seasoned combatants by the time they hit the ground in France.

“Paratroopers prepared for their mission by jumping and training at night to achieve the elements of surprise and infiltration,” said Hallis. “The drops for Normandy were scattered, but the Paratroopers rallied to complete their objectives. The total number of U.S. and British Airborne

Forces for Operation NEPTUNE was about 24,000.”

Hallis noted that those 24,000 paratroopers had a vested interest in seeing that the beach landings were successful.

“The men arriving were the saving grace for the airborne forces as they drove inland,” he explained. “Paratroopers are lightly equipped infantrymen. They can only carry so many weapons, so much ammunition, food, water, equipment and medical supplies. Once those supplies run out, they can be surrounded and destroyed by the enemy.”

For those who would like to learn more about the Airborne Division’s role on D-Day, it is about a 4-hour drive from the Washington, D.C., metro area to Fort Liberty. Hallis shared that the ASOM has a mockup of a French village, including figures of Paratroopers of the 82d and 101st Airborne as they would have been dressed and equipped for the D-Day mission.

There is also a real, full-size Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft, painted in Normandy markings, hanging from the ceiling with a figure of a Paratrooper getting ready to jump out of the door. Visitors can see a fully-restored CG-4A Waco Glider, one of only a dozen still in existence, depicted as just having landed and unloading equipment used in combat.

“While we do not have any special activities planned for the anniversary of D-Day this year, we do have a unique exhibit we just opened in March,” said Hallis. “It is called ‘Opening the Vaults: Treasures of the Fort Liberty Museums’. It is a collaboration of the Fort Liberty Museums including U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum, 82d Airborne Division Museum, and the U.S. Army Reserve History Office. Each organization brought out rare, and never-before-seen artifacts for the public to see.”

The U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum is located at 100 Bragg Boulevard, Fayetteville, NC 28301. The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. More information about the museum is available at https://www.asomf.org/.

Jumping into fire

National Army Museum’s ’Freedom From Above’ exhibit takes visitors back in time to June 6, 1944

Story By Alice Swan

Photos by Jeff Heeney

It is one of the most famous images from the events of D-Day, 80 years ago – an American paratrooper hanging on the roof of Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption church in Sainte-Mère-Eglise. At the new ‘D-Day: Freedom From Above’ exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Army, you not only learn the story of that Soldier, Pvt. John Steele, the exhibit’s digital technology lets you jump along with him into the French town.

Created by Histovery (https://histovery.com/), the displays and Histopads of the exhibit use augmented reality to bring the story of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions’ mission into Normandy to life. According to

National Army Museum exhibits division chief Paul Morando, Histovery worked with the Museum to create this special version of ‘Freedom From Above’ that includes the stories of Soldiers who were a part of D-Day.

“This is the first time we are using interactive technology for a special exhibition,” Morando shared. “Typically, there would be artifacts, artwork, a more traditional approach to telling the Army’s story. This exhibit tells the Army story in a very different, more engaging way, using Histovery’s tablets.”

Visitors to the exhibit are given a Histopad that provides access to the story behind each illustrated panel. The pads are easy to use, and volunteers will be in the gallery to help when needed. Guests scan a coded emblem at the panel which opens the pad screen to focal points for each stage of the Airborne mission. Users can have a 360-degree view of

the image being shown, watch actual D-Day film footage, read background information, or compare what the locations looked like in 1944 and today.

“The Histopads are like time portals,” explained Morando. “We can’t be in France at the scene of the D-Day invasion, but through this technology it’s possible. We encourage visitors to fully engage with the Histopad’s features to get the most out of the experience.”

Complementing the ‘Freedom From Above’ exhibit, is a display outside the gallery of the Medals of Honor awarded for actions on D-Day to four Army Soldiers: Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., Technician Fifth Grade John J. Pinder Jr., First Lieutenant Jimmie W. Monteith Jr. and Private Carlton W. Barrett. Morando explained that this is the first time the four medals have been displayed together. The museum staff coordinated with the different museums and institutions that were holding the medals to have them loaned for this D-Day Anniversary tribute. The display also includes several pieces from the Army’s art collection showing scenes from OMAHA and UTAH Beaches, bringing the action to life in a different way for visitors.

In the main floor gallery area, visitors can also see physical artifacts from the D-Day invasion in the Global War gallery, the most important – a Higgins boat (LCVP) that was used on June 6.

“To me, probably the most iconic piece of equipment from D-Day is the Higgins boat. Almost everyone recognizes it,” noted Morando. “Ours is one of the six remaining landing crafts (LCVP) tied to the Normandy landing.”

The LCVP was designed and manufactured by Andrew Higgins of Higgins Industries, which was building Louisiana swamp boats before the war. Higgins’ boat made the Normandy beach landings possible, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower is quoted as saying, “Andrew Higgins is the man who won the war for us.”

On the other side of the Higgins boat diorama is a display of obstacles from the Normandy beaches, including a Hedgehog, a Belgian Gate and a Pyramid Gate. Visitors can also see smaller items such as a pocketsized invasion map and the famous metal cricket device Soldiers used for signaling. Touch screen displays explain the invasion routes and the roles of different Soldiers during the landing.

The museum will be holding special activities on the June 6th observance of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. At the Experiential Learning Center, children will be introduced to the science behind parachutes as they make their own toy chutes. A Hands-on History display will feature World War II era paratrooper equipment, uniforms and pack items for guests to examine. Soldiers

Soldier story pylons in the ‘Freedom From Above’ exhibit feature heroes from the Airborne mission and are linked to the exhibit’s Histopads.

Paul Morando, Army Museum exhibits director noted that the Museum’s Higgins Boat in the Global War gallery is one of six remaining tied to the D-Day landings.

from the 80th Aerial Delivery Field and Services unit from Fort Gregg-Adams will share the art of parachute rigging with interested visitors.

Military history buffs can also participate in the many book talks, battle briefs and history talks scheduled by the Museum focused on the D-Day Invasion over the next few months. These public programs are open to everyone, and more information is available at https:// www.thenmusa.org/public-programs/.

The ‘D-Day: Freedom from Above’ exhibit will run through Nov. 15, 2024.

While entry to the museum is free, registration is recommended by visiting the National Army Museum website, https://www.thenmusa.org/. Operating hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The Museum is located at 1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, VA

Paul Morando demonstrates one of the features of the ‘Freedom From Above’ Histopads, which are very easy to use.

This map shows the battle sites involving the four Soldiers awarded Medals of Honor for their heroic actions on D-Day.

D-Day artwork created by civilian artists of the June 6, 1944 landings are displayed in the hall outside the ‘Freedom From Above’ exhibit.

The Bedford Boys roll of honor at the Bedford Boys Tribute Center, Bedford, Virginia, in the former Green’s Drugstore.

D-DAY ’ s 80 th anniversary , honoring

American General Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a succinct order: “OK, let’s go.”

This “Utah Beach-South (La Madeleine)” map is a double-sided, highly detailed topographical map prepared by Commander Task Force 122 in April 1944. The map contains the first beach obstacle overprint, indicated by the red markings along the coast. Military cartographers added information from Allied aerial and ground reconnaissance to aid in the navigation of landing craft and to aid troops on the ground at Utah Beach. The map contains the designated landing areas and obstacles on land, such as roadblocks and minefields, and at sea, such as stakes and hedgehogs. On the other side of the map (not shown), several charts important to nautical navigation are pictured, including a sunlight and moonlight table, beach gradients, and tables on currents and tidal stages. These maps were issued to landing craft operators to study before the landings.

Story and photos by

Glenda C. Booth

Additional photos by the National Park Service and Virginia War Memorial Foundation

“In one night and day, 175,000 fighting men and their equipment, including 50,000 vehicles of all types, ranging from motorcycles to tanks and armored bulldozers were transported across sixty to hundred miles of open water and landed on a hostile shore against intense opposition,” wrote Stephen Ambrose in his book D-Day.

Ambrose continued, “They were either carried by or supported by 5,333 ships and crafts of all types and almost 11,000 airplanes. . . It was as if the cities of Green Bay, Racine, and Kenosha, Wisconsin, were picked up and moved – every man, woman, and child, every automobile and truck – to the east side of Lake Michigan in one night.”

This was June 6, 1944, when the multi-nation, Allied Expeditionary Forces conducted one of the most complex land, sea, and air operations in history, codenamed Operation Overlord, the invasion of Germanoccupied France on 50 miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches in World War II.

The scope of this operation was truly staggering and unprecedented. To defeat the Axis Powers led by German chancellor Adolph Hitler, the United States had enlarged the U.S. Army from 170,000 men in 1940 to 7.2 million in 1944. American factory capacity had doubled between 1939 and 1944, turning out airplanes, boats, ships, tanks, rifles, and other weapons.

This massive assault, which the military called “D-Day,” was seared into American minds and world history. General Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, led this meticulously planned invasion, a battle that many believe turned the tide against the Nazis. The troops secured Normandy’s beaches and went on to liberate Paris.

Events this year around the country will honor those who lived through, won and died on that historic day.

U.S. Army Museum, Lorton, Va.

The National Museum of the United States Army in Northern Virginia is staging both virtual and inperson exhibits and educational programs from April to November 2024.

For example, visitors will be able to “experience” the Normandy beaches invasion through the eyes of the U.S. Army paratroopers loaded with gear through interactive “histopad” technology, virtual simulations that let visitors “make” airborne landings behind enemy lines.

Visitors will also virtually experience stories of individual soldiers after they landed in France. The museum will display for the first time ever four medals of honor awarded for actions performed on D-Day, plus documentary screenings, hands-on demonstrations, author presentations and history talks.

Virginia War Memorial, Richmond, Va.

From June 6 to the summer of 2025, the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond will stage immersive exhibits featuring Virginians in the Normandy invasion, including interviews of Virginians who participated, oral histories collected over two decades ago. On display will be objects, photographs, and other documents that span from the soldiers’ training in England to the end of the Normandy campaign in August 1944.

Virginians had a key role in the assault on one segment of France’s coastline that the military named “Omaha Beach.” Virginians suffered some of the heaviest losses, with 171 killed, including the 19 “Bedford Boys.” The town and county of Bedford, Virginia, had 44 soldiers, sailors, and airmen at Normandy and 20 of those met

A stylized Higgins boat and soldiers crossing Omaha Beach, Normandy, France.

their death, the country’s highest known per capita D-Day loss of any U.S. community.

Through exhibits and personal stories, the memorial will showcase teamwork, optimism, courage, and sacrifice, the values that won the war and show how thousands of ordinary Americans shaped world events, say promoters.

D-Day Memorial, Bedford, Va.

The D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va., will observe D-Day’s 80th anniversary on June 6 with a special ceremony recognizing veterans, with guest speakers, music, flyovers, a wreath laying, exhibits, a photo exhibit, and book signings by guest authors. One highlight will be an authentic Higgins boat, the Allied forces’ landing craft designed by Andrew Higgins of New Orleans that some say made the D-Day invasion possible and won the war.

A hedgehog, an obstacle that the Germans had put underwater to harm and impede the Allied forces approaching the Normandy beaches.

National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, Va.

The U.S. Marines were present at D-Day as ship detachments, but they did not land on Normandy’s beaches or participate in the battle.

The museum has a permanent exhibit describing the Marines’ World War II activity in Europe with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency.

One intriguing exhibit unravels the story of Lieutenant Colonel Peter Ortiz, who parachuted into occupied France, had a colorful career as a clandestine operative, was captured by the Germans, escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp and ultimately won many medals. The museum displays some of his medals.

General Eisenhower Honored, Gettysburg, Pa.

On Sept. 20-22, 2024, the National Park Service’s (NPS) Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, will host a World War II weekend titled “1944: The Great Crusade.”

“From General Eisenhower’s ‘Great Crusade’ in Western Europe, to the jungles of Saipan, and to the farm fields and factories of the United States, 1944 saw millions of Americans pull together in pursuit of a common goal, alongside their Allies in arms,” is written on the NPS website.

Events will include guest speakers, ranger tours, family activities, three days of interactive programming and living history for all ages. The living history does not include battle or war reenactments.

While the D-Day invasion did not end the war – that took 11 more months – it clearly created a path to victory for the Allied forces, historians contend.

In a 1964 CBS interview with Walter Cronkite on Omaha Beach, General Eisenhower said, “. . . it’s a wonderful thing to remember what those fellows 20 years ago were fighting for and sacrificing for, what they did to preserve our way of life. Not to conquer any territory, not for any ambitions of our own. But to make sure that Hitler could not destroy freedom in the world.

Virginians who lived through D-Day kept found items and mementos from the invasion that will be featured in the exhibition. Pictured here is a French cowbell taken off a cow in hedgerows by a Virginia soldier. Beside it is a German helmet captured by US troops after they came ashore.

A soldier scaling the cliff at Omaha Beach.

“I think it’s just overwhelming. To think of the lives that were given for that principle, paying a terrible price on this beach alone, on that one day, 2,000 casualties. But they did it so that the world could be free. It just shows what free men will do rather than be slaves.”

More Information

Virginia War Memorial, https://vawarmemorial.org/ National Museum of the U.S. Army, https://www.thenmusa.org/

National D-Day Memorial, https://www.dday.org/ Bedford Boys Tribute Center, https://www.bbtcva.org/ Eisenhower National Historic Site, https://www.nps.gov/eise World War II Memorial, Washington, D. C., https://www.nps.gov/wwii/index.htm

Personal Stories

The Virginia War Memorial’s exhibit includes oral histories of Virginians who participated in the Normandy invasion. The Virginia War Memorial Foundation is fortunate to have captured oral histories and personal stories of service from World War II veterans. Many of these memories and recordings will be featured in the exhibition. Here, Ruth Puryear and Bob Harwell are sitting for interviews with the Virginia War Memorial in the year 2000.

Robert “Bob” Harwell, Norfolk

Bob Harwell joined the army at age 18 and was in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division’s advance force. On D-Day, he and his division parachuted behind enemy lines in France. They were miles off target and were forced to roam the countryside to get back to their intended position.

The Nazi army captured him and his fellow paratroopers. He recalled that he was knocked out by a grenade and woke up to a German soldier’s boot on his chest and his wallet being searched.

The Nazis stripped the American soldiers and lined them up against a wall with gunmen waiting to execute them. They were only kept alive by a German officer who wanted to question them. Harwell then spent 11 months as a prisoner-of-war (POW) until the Russians liberated his prison camp in Poland in 1945.

When Harwell parachuted into France, he weighed 170 pounds. When he left the prison camp, he weighed just over half that, at one point going eight days without food. On his time as a POW, Harwell recalled, “It was something a lot of people don’t live through. I feel very fortunate. You look ahead and think ‘There’s a good day coming’ in your head. The people who could do that made it a lot better than some people who just gave up. A lot of people gave up and they would get sicker and sicker and they would die.”

Harwell was reluctant to talk about his war experiences after returning home. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 93.

1st Lt. Ruth Motter Puryear, Richmond

Ruth and her husband Robert Mason Puryear married in 1937 and moved to Richmond. In 1943, they both volunteered for military service on the same day. Robert was deployed to the Pacific with the Navy; Ruth, a nurse, sailed for England with the Army Nurse Corps.

Ruth arrived in Normandy on June 9, 1944. As she tried to wade ashore from her vessel at Omaha Beach, she sank into the water over her head. Two soldiers helped her out and when she got to shore, she scooped up a handful of sand that would become a cherished memento throughout her life.

“People say, ‘Were you scared?’ Well, if you weren’t you had to be crazy not to be scared,” Puryear said.

Puryear also served in the Battle of the Bulge. She was among the first Army nurses to enter Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany as part of the 107th Evacuation Hospital on April 22, 1945. When she came home, she frequently spoke publicly about her experiences as a military nurse and the realities of the Holocaust.

Puryear died in 2008 at the age of 96. She donated her Class A uniform to the Virginia War Memorial which will be on display in the D-Day exhibition.

A tour guide is giving a group an informative talk outside the Eisenhower home before entering their home for a house tour.

The front of the Eisenhower home.

The Homage, a generic American World War II soldier.

A stylized Higgins boat and soldiers crossing Omaha Beach, Normandy, France.

Statue of General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Putting at Pax Golf pro shares his story

Story By James Young

By Julie Malinowski

Cedar Point Golf Course at Naval Air Station

Patuxent River is a fantastic destination for golfers, due in no small part to the experience and professionalism of its general manager, PGA pro John Malinowski. Malinowski has decades of experience in working on and managing golf courses, and since he began his work at Cedar Point in 2022, he has streamlined the golfing experience and created a welcoming and fun environment for experienced players and newcomers alike.

Malinowski was born in 1971 in Philadelphia to a military family; his father served in the Marine Corps for 28 years. Due to his father’s service, the family moved frequently, and his father was often away from home for

weeks or months at a time. Wanting to become more involved in the military culture, Malinowski took his first job as a cart attendant at the Medal of Honor Golf Course at Marine Corps Base Quantico. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Lenoir-Rhyne College, Malinowski worked on a few golf courses before being elected a member of PGA in 1998.

As a PGA pro, Malinowski soon occupied high positions at golf courses in North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C., before accepting a position as Head PGA Professional at River Run Golf Club in Berlin, Md., in 2003. Over the years, he achieved specialty certifications from PGA in a wide range of areas, including teaching, golf operations, executive management, and food & beverage management.

In 2012, he was chosen as the Mid-Atlantic PGA pro

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of the year. After 20 years at River Run, Malinowski took his current position as general manager of golf at Cedar Point, which he has thoroughly enjoyed.

“It’s been a blast to be part of,” he said.

He manages all aspects of the course, including the golf itself, as well as food & beverage services and the retail shop, which offers golf equipment as well as clothing and other souvenirs.

Prior to his tenure at Cedar Point, most of the staff on the course did not play golf and saw it as “just another job,” according to Malinowski. He changed this for the better, hiring staff that not only played golf, but fostered a deep respect for the sport and its players.

“When I came in, there was some instability with staff, but I was able to build a brand-new customer-oriented staff… My staff feels lucky to have this opportunity.”

Malinowski places great emphasis on hiring staff who are “reliable, dependable and friendly,” understanding the importance of staff who get along well with both new and returning players.

Malinowski especially enjoys the opportunity to work with members of the military and their families.

“I love the ideals and culture of the military,” he said. “I can relate to the families, because I know what it’s like to have your family gone for weeks or months at a time.”

He is proud to have the opportunity to introduce younger service members to golf.

“It’s really fun seeing some of the junior enlisted getting into golf for the first time.”

Malinowski’s wife, Julie, who is a marketing specialist with the Navy, spoke highly of her husband’s work with military golfers.

“Golfing at Cedar Point is like a great equalizer,” she said. “Everyone is going out there to have a good time, whether you’re an admiral or a junior enlisted.”

Malinowski also offers personalized golf coaching in both individual and group settings. Lessons are available for golfers of all ages and skill levels, from absolute beginners to aspiring pros. His coaching promises to help players up their game, have more fun on the course, and achieve their goals as golfers. He even offers specialized coaching for golfers preparing for tournament play.

All in all, Malinowski has excelled in this latest phase of his long and successful career.

“I feel honored to be given the chance to run this golf program for the Sailors, Marines and other patrons.”

Sandra Rechis aboard the Halyburton.

Getting back in the game

Story By Charles S. Masarsky, D.C.

Navy vet’s golf game interrupted

A Navy veteran came in after suffering from back pain for three weeks. This patient is an avid golfer and played a vigorous game three days before the visit. Unfortunately, this further aggravated his back pain, which he now rated at “6” on a 10-point scale, where “10” is the worst pain imaginable. Clearly, he needed to find substantial relief before golf could resume.

Feet not firmly on the ground

Misalignments in the lower back that cause pain often also cause disturbed sensation in the feet. Examination with a tuning fork indicated the right foot was less sensitive to vibration than the left foot. The same nerve circuitry that enables us to feel vibration also enables us to sense pressure. Disturbed pressure sense in the feet could affect balance.

The patient was asked to stand on one leg for as long as possible. The test was then repeated on the other leg. His single leg balance was extremely poor – three seconds on each leg. Both doctor and patient now understood that pain was not his only problem; the veteran’s poor balance placed him at risk for future injury due to falls. Going forward, it was going to be difficult returning to golf with his feet not firmly on the ground.

Four days later

Chiropractic adjustments were administered to correct misalignments (aka subluxations) in the lower back. Four days later, the patient returned for follow-up. Sensitivity to vibration in the feet was not totally normal yet, but much improved. Single leg balance was now thirty seconds on each leg. He rated his pain at “3” and felt he would soon be able to return to the sport he enjoyed. It’s not just amateurs

Amateurs such as our Navy veteran are not alone in using chiropractic care to get back on the fairway. Professional golfers frequently make use of chiropractic care. For example, consider this quote attributed to Tiger Woods:

“I’ve been going to chiropractors for as long as I can remember. It’s as important to my training as practicing my swing.”

Woods’ use of chiropractic care is consistent with a 2009 Brazilian study that found stretching exercises plus chiropractic adjustments to improve golf swing to a greater extent than stretching alone.

Archer’s aim thrown off

A 30-year-old cable technician was experiencing the sensation of the room spinning around her. This vertigo had been going on for approximately one week and was often triggered by going up or down in an elevator. Not only was this disturbing symptom threatening her performance at work, but it was also problematic during recreation – she enjoyed target sports such as archery.

The “leaky vibe”

With a vibrating tuning fork placed on the center of her head, the patient was asked whether the vibration sense was centered on the tuning fork. She replied that the vibration seemed to “leak” to the right of the fork. A 2023 paper in a chiropractic journal described this innovative use of tuning fork testing. The “leaky vibe” result has often been found to be related to problems in the skull and/or vertebrae. In this case, chiropractic adjustments were delivered to the jaw, upper back and one of the subtly movable joints (called “sutures”) at the back of the skull.

The elevator test

Following the adjustment, the “leaky vibe” test was repeated. The patient stated the vibration was now “centered”. She was asked to take a ride down and back up in the building’s elevator. She stated there was a slight vertigo sensation, but much less severe and distressing than before the adjustment.

It’s

not just sports

Although many people seek chiropractic care to overcome injuries and/or improve performance in

golf, target sports, baseball, football, judo, and other sports, the misalignments (subluxations) assessed by chiropractic examination affect activities of daily living as well. Imagine pulling weeds in your garden while experiencing vertigo.

Consider the increased risk of falling on an icy sidewalk or wet floor when your balance is off. Overcoming injury and improving neurological fitness in everyday life as well as sports is the reason for the Doctor of Chiropractic to practice.

Sources for this Article

Case of the Archer with Vertigo: Masarsky CS. Alternate Uses for the Tuning Fork. Asia-Pac Chiropr J,2023; 4-2: Masarsky CS. Alternate uses for the Tuning Fork: Doctor, test thyself [The wide-angle lens]. Asia-Pac Chiropr J. 2023;4.1 - Page 2 (publitas.com)

Chiropractic and Golf: Costa SMV, Chibana YET, Giavarotti L, Compagnoni DS, Shiono AH, Satie J. Bracher ESB. Effect

of Spinal Manipulative Therapy with Stretching Compared with Stretching Alone on Full-Swing Performance of Golf Players: A Randomized Pilot Trial. J Chiropr Med, 2009; 8(4): 165-170. 10.1016/j.jcm.2009.06.002

Chiropractic and Judo: Botelho MB, Andrade BB. Effect of Cervical Spine Manipulative Therapy on Judo Athletes’ Grip Strength. J Manipulative Physiol Ther, 2012; 35(1): 38-44: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22079053

Chiropractic and Baseball: Dintenfass J. Dr. Erie Painter, Pioneer Sports Chiropractor, Presents His Experiences with Boston Braves and New York Yankees. Chiropr Sports Med, 1987; 1(3): 114-115.

Chiropractic and Football: Redwood D, Stump JL. The Use and Role of Sport Chiropractors in the National Football League: A Short Report. J Manipulative Physiol Ther, 2002; 25(3): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query. fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_ uids=11986584

The building blocks of life

Story by Rev. Dr. Paul V. McCullough III

Like millions of other kids around the world, I grew up playing with LEGOs. I remember building police cars, fire trucks, airplanes, boats, a secret base and dozens of other creations. I enjoyed doing this so much that when I graduated high school, I actually boxed up and saved my favorite designs in the hopes of passing them on to my children one day.

For years, those beloved toys sat in a box, moving with me from place to place as I continued in my military career. When my kids became old enough, I opened the cherished box with the hopes of proudly passing on what I had created so many years ago. Much to my chagrin, what I discovered was a heap of broken pieces. The many trips around the world had taken a toll on my treasured LEGOs and none of my creations from my childhood years had survived.

I felt so disheartened by this that I was about to take the contents of the entire box and dump it in the garbage. Luckily, my daughter is an aspiring engineer and had the great idea that we could disassemble the remaining bits and pieces and use all the parts to make brand new creations. I became joyful at this suggestion, not only because my daughter wanted to join me in one of my favorite hobbies, but also because her recommendation reminded me of something I know all too well.

We sometimes work really hard, maybe even for years, at trying to build a life for ourselves. Suddenly, a circumstance arises and it seems like our whole world is falling apart, leaving us with nothing but a pile of scrap, just like my fragmented heap of LEGO bricks. The good news is that Jesus Christ can take the broken pieces of our lives and use them to make something beautiful.

In Isaiah 43:18-19 we read, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

As my daughter and I started on this new adventure together, I gave her an opportunity to take the lead and put her engineering mind to work. The first thing she wanted to construct was a strong foundation for our new creations to be built upon. Her astute observation was that so many of my original pieces did not survive the test of time because they didn’t have anything to stabilize them and were therefore just randomly moving about in the box. Without even realizing it, my daughter reminded me of a critically important Biblical truth.

Matthew 7:24-25 reads, “Everyone then, who hears these

Lt. Col. (Rev.) Paul McCullough, U.S. Army retired, is president of the Association of the U.S. Army’s Penn & Franklin-Greater Philadelphia Chapter and an Army Reserve Ambassador from Pennsylvania. He served 20 years in the Army, retiring in 2018 as deputy director for supplier operations, Defense Logistics Agency. He deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005, and in 2017 as commander of the DLA Support Team-Kuwait. He holds a doctorate in business administration from Walden University.

words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.”

Just as my LEGOs needed a firm foundation, we have to build our lives on the solid rock of faith.

As time progressed, my daughter and I decided to move on to a more advanced form of LEGOs called nanoblocks. The concept is still the same, but the blocks are much smaller, making the final project more time consuming to complete but also much more intricate in detail. As we started on this new endeavor, I realized a third important lesson. Just as we began with larger LEGO bricks and then moved on to smaller nanoblocks, we each begin our lives by making big decisions early in our jour ney that will affect many of our future choices.

As we get older, we then make smaller choices to fine tune our destiny, with the hopes of ultimately resulting in a beautiful and complex life we can be proud of. Just as I had to show my daughter how the LEGO blocks work and help her with our first few creations, it is our responsibility as parents to teach children well in all other areas of life.

Proverbs 22:6 reads, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not depart from it.”

LEGOs and nanoblocks have always been my favorite form of artistic expression. I’m able to take my love for order and structure, and now combined with my daughter’s mind for engineering, create beautiful pieces that we can both be proud of and that also remind me of important aspects of my faith. Blocks may not be the right hobby for you, but there are multiple other forms of artistic expression, such as drawing, writing, painting, crafting, pottery, singing and probably dozens of others.

In my mind, what you do to express yourself is not nearly as important as who you do it with and what you allow God to teach you about His word in the process. For me, LEGOs represent the building blocks of life and God’s deep love for us.

COMING UP

by

Willing Warriors, a great partner of At Ease magazine, recently had a ribbon-cutting for their new building, PenFed Grand Lodge in Haymarket, Va. The full story on how this new facility will be used for military and veterans members coming soon!

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Patsy Lynch

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