Normandy Invasion
Continued from First Page
mined, even pointed, attacks un
necessarily, or for the thrill-Value!
The second day of our operations
we were amused and self-laudatory
over a radio interception of a Ger
man broadcast which, after iden
tifying us as the Devil Ship be
cause of our tactics and successes
against important installations and
concentrations of troops-and sup
plies of various sorts, threatened us
with sure destruction. Of course,
we laughed, recalling previous
threats from their news sources to
"get us."
About that time of evening when
dusk is finally enveloped in dark
riess one is rather' inclined to an
almost universal lethargy. This se
cond evening we were shaken from
our -pathetic attention to duty by
a terrific explosion. A JU88 had
sneakJed in and released a 1000
pound aerial bomb that nearly tore
our heads off. The AA gunners
poured everything they had into
the receding tail of the audacious
rascal. This was la very busy night
and we were accredited two enemy
planes; su'fering a near-miss from
the aeria bomb, an ineffectual
strafing of our fan-tail and collect
ing souvenir-shrapnel from the
bomb explosion, effected our sec
ond day's tally.
Immediately preceeding and thru
out the extended operations" in
volving our ship, ARKANSAS,
there was an incredible procession
of troop and equipment-gorged
craft pushing in toward the inva
sion beaches. These people, did the
biggest, mort tireing task of all, in
my estimation. Undoubtedly they
will share heroically in he final tal
lying of accounts with those of the
infantry and the paratroops and en
gineers who forced the initial foot
holds and held, tenaciously, against
the Supermen.
The picture of this stupendous
show will be completed over
definite period of course Individ
ual points of view have been before
the public eyes and ears these
past weeks and it isn't too diffi
cult' to grasp the composite pictur
ization and correlate them in some
what more orderly fashion than I
have done in this particular re
cord. As large as this phase seems, it
was, in actuality, a small bit of the
sphere allotted to the American
jurisdiction of the interallied stra
tegic position. While there were in.
the Texas group, of which the Ar
kansas wias a unit, a total of four
destroyers, two American and two
British; two British cruisers, HMS
Bellona and HMS Glasgow; two
splendid French cruisers, Mont
calm and the Georges Leygues and
this was but one group under the
American command of Admired
Kirk. This makes no mention of
the tremendous Armada used in
securing and exploiting an equally
others which I haven't- identified
vast English-Canadian incision ii'
Heppner Gazette Times, November, 30, 1 044 5
the enemy's hitherto invulnerable
Atlantic Wall.
There are incidents that happen
ed among the crew which are espec
ially worthy of record. To make an
illustration or to elucidate in a
play-by-play manner on the many
varied exploits seems beyond my
means iolam compelled to present
a very general picture. It will be
fairly easy to take some note of the
amazing hardihood and stamina of
the wounded personnel of the am
phibious forces, both army and
navy, who were .brought aboard
during the first day's fighting for
treatment ' and temporary hospital
ization. In the early hours of the assault
it was exceedingly difficult to fur
nish some casualties with more
than the most general sort of treat
ment due to the fury of enemy re
sistance on the beaches Hospital
ships and even regular line units
wtere necessarily impressed into the
effort to care for the casualties and
we received our share of wounded
aoard that day.
The forbearance and personal
conduct of the wounded was, with
out exception, exemplary of the
highest traditions in any Service. I
was deeply impressed by the utter
disregard shown by several over
their wounds serious wounds.
We had one surgeon; of ourthree
ship's doctors. Dr. Dostal is the
practicing surgeon. He performed
ngic in an improvised surgery
which was set up on the third deck;
the surgery, being in its normal
location on the second deck, too
vulnerable to enemy shell fire and
bomb penetration.
Much has been written by novel
ists in fictitious accounts of human
endu)ranc. Hrankjy, it has also
been a bit difficult for me to credit
some of the accounts coming from
Our various war theaters. It's rath
er pointless, in some cases, to ask
a man to believe of others a heroic
conduct in terrible circumstances
when he has not seen, in his ex
perience, such nerve and grim hu
mor! I have had reason to regret
my cynicism. I have seen human
qualities in helpless young men
that take one out of this world.
They point to a principal reason
why these Americans are able to
take tiie vounted Herrenvolk, that
so-called Nordic-Superman! This
talk one hears of the "game spirit"
is no fable! America, as a nation,
can survive anything if she will
match the courage and fortitude of
these unfortunate youngsters for
whom I could see nothing but piti
ful and unnecessary handicaps of a
permanent nature.
Visualize this boy: a young sol
dier of 20 years, who had sustained
an arm amputation by shell-fire,
and multiple, grievous body wounds
from shrapnel. Tied in a Stokes
stretcher generally in use in the
navy), he was quiet and calm, but
not from morphine. He attempted
to assist in the removal f his gory
clothing and talked dispassionately
cheerfull, of the tremendous effort
his company was putting forth to
clear the area assigned them on
the beach near by.
He learned that I was a musician
and engaged me in conversation
while we were preparing him for
the operating table. (Incidentally,
he had to wait for his turn, too.)
He commlented that he was a "mu
sic" and was especially sold on the
saxophone, having played it pro
fessionally. I glanced at the bloody
stump that had been his arm and
shook my head. He grinned and
said he guessed instead of fiddling
he'd just have to be contented to
dance.
We. had casualties ahead of him
and others coming along after him.
His delay was 20 minutes, or so,
but he didn't seem to mind. His
was not- the worst case, nor the
slightest, but his attitude was in
dicative of the stuff in these kids
who are going after Hitler's vaunt
ed hosts with rcfc'l confidence in
their hearts. I'm grateful for that
short, oflf-the-record, undirectjed
chat we had.
HERE FROM HERMISTON
Frank Young, former - extensive
grain grower of the lower Goose
berry sectiton, was here Monday
from Hermiston looking after busi
ness matters.
Mrs. C. C. Dunham left Tuesday
morning for San Diego. Calif, to
join her husband, Ph. M. lc, who
is stationed there temporarily. She
(..xoects to be gone several weeks.
Ray Drake went to Pendleton
Wednesday for a major surgical op
eration. He expects to be iaway
from home twe weeks.
ANNOUNCING
Change in Ownership of
Heppner-lone-Portland
- Freight Line
This freight line will continue to serve
Morrow county and we solicit your
patronage.
J. E. Sutherland
Phone , orders to La Verne Van Marter
152 or 1442 Heppner
or Phone 60, Pilot Rock, Ore.
I Tti High I
J Cost of I
1 Living J
miff (f
NOW BUY
AN EXTRA
WAR BOND
WAR LOAN
We all know the cost of living is up 25.4 up,
since 1939, in fact But the average price per
kilowatt-hour of PP&L electricity is down 21
since 1939. In that short time the average pries
we receive for residential electric service has been
cut from 236 cents per kilowatt-hour to only,
1.86. cents now. And compared with fifteen yean
ago, the average home served by PP&Lis nowusing
nearly twice as much electricity- no more cost,
Figurt from U.S. Burtou of Labor Statistic.
Pacific Power & Light Company
YOUR BUSINESS-MANAGED POWER SYSTEM
j