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06/06/16
- NNHS Newsletter - D-Day Plus 72 Years
"In all of the far-flung operations of our own Armed Forces the toughest job
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Dear Friends and Schoolmates,
Seventy-two years? WOW. You know, I will
allow that because of
my daddy's (the late
Robert Buckley, M.D. - John Marshall HS - '25)
(19 Oct 1907 - 25
Apr 1960) participation in the
first wave of the first
hour of D-Day on Omaha Beach, it's possible, just possible, that I've
paid slightly more attention to its observance here than most others.
BONUS #1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPU4p7UQOtU - The invasion of Normandy on June 6th, 1944 - footage from The History Channel
BONUS #2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_qeCNg8fO0 - ten minute documentary made for eighth grade school project - extraordinarily well done (plus you can catch a glimpse of my daddy just before the end)!
BONUS #3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCUpvTMis-Y - My Chemical Romance - The Ghost Of You
HOMEWORK:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Normandy
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dday/
EXTRA CREDIT:
From the Daily Press - 06/05/09:
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Preparing for D-Day: Members of the 29th Division in England in December 1943, practicing for the D-Day invasion. |
Preparing for D-Day: Members of the 29th Division in England in December 1943, practicing for the D-Day invasion. |
Front Page: The headline of the June 6, 1944 Baltimore Evening Sun announces the invasion. |
The Convoy: A convoy of Allied ships in the early stages of the June 6 invasion. |
Aboard the Transport: Members of Maryland's 29th Division aboard a transport on its way to Normandy on D-Day. |
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(Baltimore Sun
photo by Holbrook Bradley) |
(Baltimore Sun
photo by Holbrook Bradley) |
(Baltimore Sun
photo by Holbrook Bradley) |
(Baltimore Sun
photo by Holbrook Bradley) |
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Approaching the Coastline: The coast of Normandy appears in the distance as Maryland's 29th Division prepare for the invasion. |
Landing Craft: American GIs clamber into a landing craft as they prepare to hit the beaches along France's Normandy coast. |
The Assault Begins: American troops begin the assault on the Normandy coastline as Coast Guard landing crafts drop them in the surf. |
Assault Troops: Assault troops in a landing craft huddle behind the protective front of their boat as it nears the beachhead during D-Day. |
The 29th Sets Up: The 29th Division sets up in a quarry after landing on the beach at Normandy. |
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(Baltimore Sun
photo by Holbrook Bradley) |
(AP file photo) | (file photo) | (Bettman-UPI photo) |
(Baltimore Sun
photo by Holbrook Bradley) |
NOTE: The U.S. 29th Infantry Division was both a Maryland and Virginia National Guard unit.
MORE EXTRA CREDIT:
From Fred Field ('45) of CA - ummm, long, long ago - "D-DAY
AT NNHS":
D-DAY AT NNHS
by
Fred W. Field
Class of June 1945
Beginning in late May of 1944 we students had been told and reminded that we would have a special assembly when the invasion of Europe began. As the calendar crept into June we began to wonder if the event would happen before Friday the ninth - the day school closed for the summer.
We had a lot to think about in that early June of 1944. My own class was just finishing the junior year. For most juniors, the end of the semester would be a determining point for whether or not our earned credits by the following June would likely add up to the minimum required for graduation. A few classmates had already made the decision to stretch out the graduation date for at least an extra semester (an ambitious athletic department head helped nurture that idea).
Many of us pondered the chances of the war lasting long enough for our age group to be swept into the military. At June 1944 most boys in my class were within plus or minus a few months from a sixteenth birthday. The draft boards were already grabbing fresh eighteen-year-olds. We had known seniors who had fallen behind in the education time track and were drafted right out of school - some of them only a month before graduation. For my contemporaries the time-to-uniform seemed already stamped into our destiny.
Those who had plans for college knew that the institutions were crowded with military programs and that entrance immediately after high school might be difficult. The draft board would certainly be watching with interest.
Others just thought about their forthcoming summer employment - which for most of the boys meant a job in the shipyard. There would be a long, long six-day week and while the pay would seem great, the work would be weary and dirty.
A few of us had signed up for summer jobs as waiters at the Orkney Springs Hotel - an upscale resort in the mountains close to the West Virginia Border. We had no idea what an adventure that would turn out to be.
On the morning of Tuesday, June 6th we woke up to radio reports that the invasion had begun. Landings had started just before daybreak on the English Channel beaches of France, the time there being about nine hours prior to our waking up in Virginia. Conversation was quiet on the bus trip to school. There wasn't a lot to say. Most of us were aware of the dangers of that invasion and how disastrous failure could be.
Not long after we were settled in our classrooms the summons came for the special assembly. About an hour later we filed into the auditorium and quietly took our seats. This was certainly not to be a pep rally. No band playing this time. No bouncy cheerleaders hyping up our spirits. Not even any of the usual applause for the self conscious student helper who dragged the microphone onto the stage and tested the PA system.
As was traditionally the case in our assemblies, some opening remarks were made by Dean of Girls Ethel Gildersleeve. She then very quickly introduced our Principal, Lamar R. Stanley.
Principal Stanley was always a rather serious person but on this day he made a particularly solemn speech about the significance of what was happening on the beaches of Normandy. He reminded us of the price paid by those recent schoolmates already lost in action in many places around the world. All of us had known some of them personally.
In retrospect I think that in his speech our Principal intended a strong message that we must be prepared for the list of the fallen to suddenly grow. There was a brief interlude for a prayer by a local minister. Then after a few closing words from Principal Stanley our special assembly for D-Day was concluded.
Thank you again - so very much, Fred!
You cannot know how much I appreciate having you with
us to share these precious memories.
THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS:
Happy Birthday
today
to
Robert Hemintoller ('57)
AND
Bertha Smith Zacharias ('57)
AND
My Granddaughter, Eve Harty of CA!
Happy Birthday
tomorrow to
Fred Field ('45) of CA
AND
Al Simms
('60) of VA
AND Donnie Morris ('67) of VA!
Happy Birthday this week to:
10 -
Sydney
Dearing ('56) of TN
AND
the late Eileen Casey Sparkman
(Ferguson
HS - '68)
(deceased
08/16/11);
11 - Joan Warren Smith ('63)
AND
Butch Corson ('63) of Northern VA;
12 - Cynthia Clontz Mears ('57)!
Many Happy Returns, One and All!
http://www.nnhs65.com/Happy-Birthday.html
THIS DAY IN WWII:
| June 06, 1942
-
Battle of Midway: U.S. Navy dive bombers sank the
Japanese cruiser Mikuma and four Japanese carriers; Japanese forces
retreated. The battle had begun on June 4. June 06, 1944 - Battle of Normandy began. D-Day, code named Operation Overlord, commenced with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France. The allied soldiers quickly broke through the Atlantic Wall and pushed inland in the largest amphibious military operation in history. Altogether 400,000 Allied American, British and Canadian troops were involved. |
THIS DAY IN 1966:
Monday, June 06, 1966 - Footballer and agent Tony Yeboah was born Anthony Yeboah in Kumasi, Ghana.
From My Friend, Susan, of NC -
06/04/15:| “Let
me close by bearing witness (and my nine decades on this earth fully
qualify me to say this) that the older I get, the more I realize that
family is the center of life and is the key to eternal happiness. I give
thanks for my wife, for my children, for my grandchildren and my
great-grandchildren, and for all of the cousins and in-laws and extended
family who make my own life so rich and, yes, even eternal.”
-
L. Tom Perry |
Thanks so much, Susan!
From My
Daughter, Adrienne Harty
(Hillsboro HS,
IL / American School, IL) of NC
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06/06/15
- "D-Day":
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My family typically watches war movies on "holidays" like today. To say
"Happy D-Day" isn't right. Neither is "Happy Memorial Day" or "Happy
Veterans Day". There wasn't anything to be "happy" about on D-Day. I'm
grateful, but not happy that I'm free because of those brave and
courageous souls that sacrificed so much. I'm happy that I'm free
though. Whether they lived another day or not, they sacrificed and
suffered greatly. So, no...it's not a happy day. It's a time to reflect
on what transpired and where we are now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=81&v=82RTzi5Vt7w |
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Here is a picture of my Grandfather Buckley (bottom right) helping out one of
his fellow soldiers. This picture was taken on Omaha Beach on 06/06/44. I'm indebted to all those men who sacrificed so much - not only for their freedom, but for countless others. Here's a link to a letter that my grandfather wrote concerning that day: http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/cluckmeat/daddysddayletter.html
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BONUS D-DAY CROCHET PATTERN:
BONUS D-DAY MENUS:
Y'all take good care of each other! TYPHOONS FOREVER! We'll Always Have Buckroe! Love to all, Carol ==============================================
NNHS CLASS OF '65 WEB SITE:
http://www.nnhs65.com
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"Hymn to the Fallen" theme from " Saving Private Ryan"Composed by John Williams (b. 08 Feb 1932), 1998
"Hymn to the Fallen" theme from "Saving Private Ryan" courtesy Barbed Wire Divider Line clip art courtesy of http://www.cowboyclipart.net/horizontalrules/fences.asp - 04/30/08 John Marshall High School's Justice Scale clip art courtesy of
Cheryl White Wilson (JMHS - '64) of VA - 10/13/05
Animated Army Flag clip art courtesy of
http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/KevsGifsGalore/Patriotic.html - 06/18/03
Marine Corps Seal clip art
courtesy of the late
Herbert Hice of MI, Thanks again, Herbie!!
Air Force Seal clip art courtesy of
http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/celebrate/milsongs.htm - 07/07/06 Back to NNHS Newsletters - 2016 |
