Texans at Normandy: the 75th Anniversary of D-Day

by U S Sen John Cornyn, R-Texas

Seventy-five years ago, a courageous battle was fought and won by Allies at the beaches of Normandy Its significance cannot be understated; the Allies’ defeat of the German forces at Normandy recast the direction of the war and set forth the campaign to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany

Texas’ World War II veterans who have spoken about their time in the English Channel remember the invasion as like nothing they’d ever seen Claude Grisham of Holly Lake Ranch, Texas recalls the many boats stacked with thousands of men funneling equipment towards the beach. Jack Hetzel from Big Sandy, Texas shared that the sky was so thick with military aircraft, not even the sun shone through Paul Marable of Waco, Texas noted on D-Day’s 70th anniversary five years ago that he could “still hear the gears in that turret [of his tank] turning ”

More than 156,000 Allied troops, including 73,000 Americans, stormed the beaches and cliffs on June 6, 1944 for the largest seaborne invasion in history

While ultimately successful, the operation cost us many lives American forces suffered about 2,500 fatalities, and the Allied casualties have been estimated to be close to 10,000

Homer Garrett of Lindale, Texas remembers the victory with a heavy heart: “Ninety-six members of my battalion were killed in a single day, and many were injured” as they hit a German mine approaching Utah Beach Near

Omaha Beach, Henry Willmann of San Antonio witnessed a similar mine strike a ship carrying 3,500 Allied troops It sank in minutes

Just up the shore at Pointe du Hoc, a native of Brady, Texas named James Rudder led the U.S. Army’s Second Ranger Battalion up 100-foot cliffs amid heavy gunfire to capture the Germans’ fortified position The Rudder Rangers saved countless men on the shores below by destroying the German artillery positions ravaging Allied troops on Omaha and Utah beaches Still today, a modest monument sits atop a beachside cliff commemorating their remarkable contribution to the Allied victory at Normandy and the outsized sacrifice made by the Second Ranger Battalion.

A much larger memorial to our victory at D-Day is docked along the Buffalo Bayou east of Houston There the Battleship Texas serves as a museum for the vessel’s many heroic adventures, including her voyage in the English Channel in June 1944 As for those beachside cliffs, “there are still basketball-sized craters that she put into the side of the mountains there,” shared ship manager Andy Smith From Omaha Beach to Pointe du Hoc, USS Texas fired round after round of 14-inch shells to soften German defenses as the Allies invaded Remarkably, each one of her 1600-man crew survived the battle, and the ship saved additional lives evacuating wounded troops from the beach toward medical care After DDay, the USS Texas sailed to the Pacific Theater to finish off the war and returned to the United States with homeward bound troops in tow Since she was decommissioned in 1948, the Battleship Texas has been open to the public at the San Jacinto Battleground near La Porte, Texas

On a personal note, the 75th anniversary of D-Day reminds me of my father-in-law, Don Hansen, who bravely stormed Utah Beach on June 7, 1944, and of my own father, a career Air Force officer who served as a bomber pilot in World War II On his 26th mission, my father was shot down by the Nazis and spent months in a POW camp before General Patton’s troops freed him and his fellow service members Both men were personal role models and inspired my career in public service, and while both men have deceased, they live on through our family and the stories we tell of their heroism

All in all, 700,000 Texans served in uniform during World War II Texas sent the largest percentage of men and women into combat of any state And 22,000 Texans laid down their lives to protect others – their fellow troops, their countrymen at home, and the many fighting for freedom and peace around the world

The loss our nation experienced on D-Day is hard to fathom, but thankfully, Texas veterans through their optimism have helped us point out some lessons to share with the next generation Homer Garrett, who saw 96 fellow soldiers die when his landing craft hit a mine, said that because of his fellow soldiers in the Army’s 300th Combat Engineers Battalion whose remains still lie in Normandy, he “know[s] the price of freedom ” And Paul Marable, who during the invasion woke up to a German soldier poking him with a machine gun and was taken captive as a prisoner of war for seven months, explains: “Because of that, I’ve been able - a little bit better than most maybe who haven’t gone through that - to decide what’s really important I don’t get disturbed easily at little frets ”

I encourage those of you who are lucky enough to have World War II veterans in your lives to make the time to hear their stories The Greatest Generation has much to teach us; we need only to listen

Continued from page 1 them There were oohs and ahhs as well as laughter from the crowd as the animals either clung to Bobby’s shirt or climbed to the top of his head

A good crowd was on-hand at the library to see the exotic animals. Courtesy photo.

There was a little excitement when the lemur got loose in the library as Curry was putting him back in his crate He immediately climbed to the highest bookcase but came back to the handler with a minimarshmallow bribe

After showing all the animals, Curry and his helper Stacy, allowed everyone to pet the lemur, the kinkajou, and the joey (whose name was, actually, Jack!).

Did you know –

• A kinkajou can turn their feet backward

• When a kangaroo is born they are about the size of a gummy bear

• A ring-tailed lemur will find the highest spot to climb to so they can see everything around them

Today at the library at 10 am is Marty Westerman and his magic act.

Additional activities are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 am to 11 am for K through 4th grades and from 2 pm to 3 pm for 5th through 8th grades This week, the little ones painted beads to create a planet necklace, and the page 15

Local Church Calendar

First United Methodist Church of Howe

Tuesday

9:30 am - Women's Bible Study

6:30 pm Boy Scouts

Wednesday 9:00 am - Wednesday Workers

6:30 pm - JrHigh and Sr High Youth

Saturday 9:00 am - Feed My Sheep (1st and 3rd Sat each month)

Sunday

8:40 am - Fellowship and Donuts

9:00 am - Sunday School

10:00 am - Worship service

3:00 pm - Cub Scouts

First Baptist Church Howe

Tuesday

7:00 pm - Bible Study

Wednesday

6:30 pm - Adult Bible Study

Kids Activities - Check Church FB Page

Youth Activities - Check Church FB Page Throughout Summer

Sunday

8:30am - Prayer Time

9:15am - Bible Fellowship

10:30am - Worship Service

First Baptist Church Dorchester

Wednesday

6:00 pm - Meal (Donations for adults and kids eat free)

6:30 pm - Praise service

7:00 pm - Youth Bible Study

7:00 pm - Adult Bible Study

7:00 pm - RA's/GA's/children's group

Sunday 9:00 am - Men's Prayer Time

9:45 am - Sunday School

10:45 am - A M Worship Service

5:00 pm - Adult Chior Practice

6:00 pm - Evening Worship

Howe Church of Christ

Wednesday 7:00 pm - Bible Classes (all ages)

Sunday 9:00 am - Bible Classes (all ages)

10:00 am - Worship Service

5:00 pm - Worship Service

New Beginning Fellowship

Wednesday 7:00 pm - Radiate Youth

7:00 pm - Sanctuary of for prayer

Sunday

9:30 am - Sunday School (kids, youth, women, men)

10:30 am - Worship Service

10:30 am - Kids Church

A Christian Fellowship, Luella

Wednesday

6:30 pm – Potluck Meal

7:00 pm – Worship Service

7:00 pm – Jr & Sr High Youth

Sunday

9:30 am – Sunday School (all ages)

10:30 am – Worship Service

10:30 am – KidZone Children’s Service (5yr – 12 yr)

Community Bible Fellowship

Wednesday 6:30 pm - Food and Fellowship

7:00 pm - Community Kids (ages 3

- 6th grade, nursery available)

7:00 pm - Youth and Adult Bible Study

Sunday

10:30 am - Worship Service

Times are subject to change. Please check with each church for any possible changes