D-Day Normandy
 

A reminder that today marks the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Normandy, involving the landing on Normandy’s beaches of more than 156,000 Allied troops, with over 10,000 killed or wounded.

Although my father didn't land in Normandy, June 6, he was in Patton's 3rd Army and fought all across Europe. He saw action in Holland, Battle of the Bulge, Bastone, Bridge at Remagen and crossed the Rhyne. He was lucky to survive.

I´m old enough to remember when Presidents used to honor our D-Day Veterans and Fallen Heroes. I didn't see anything from the White House yesterday.

Although true; we won’t be going there. As this is a No Politics Zone. ;)

It was a statement of disappointment.

Absolutely! Interesting times if you lived to tell about them.

In our case, my father arrived at Ellis Island from Norway when he was two, and our last name became Americanized. Somehow, he got into the FBI* and his first assignment was Oahu, arriving October 1941. So he was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. Hitler took over Norway and my dad figured out to enlist in the Army to get to Europe. OCS, then England to train, then D-Day. So one of the few to be at both. The picture is of him saluting (back to camera) as Patton went by, location unknown, time unknown. Second is with some appreciative German women shortly after V-E Day, Berlin.

*We have two letters from J Edgar Hoover. The first to my Norwegian grandmother in January 1942 letting her know that my father was alive and well after the Pearl Harbor bombing. The second to my dad: "Your request to resign from the FBI is hereby denied, but since you have already enlisted there is nothing I can do but wish you Godspeed. Sincerely, J Edgar Hoover". https://scontent-bos3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...ed&oe=60E63C71

https://scontent-bos3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...89&oe=60E58DEA

Great story, great pictures!!! Mom's side was German (Runge & Dressman), Dad's side was Irish (Delahanty & Kehlor) I know our last name's spelling was changed. A friend's research shows many similar spellings and was told by researchers in Ireland it was changed at Ellis Island.

As a young man just starting my career I came across many WWll vetrans and marveled at their toughness. It took many years for me to understand! When I became a student of history that was the key which unlocked these warriors' story and toughness.

D-Day Normandy
 

Thanks for sharing your history and great photos clpetersen.
As a Norwegian its interesting to read about your fathers history. Were does your relatives come from?
Greatings from Norway

Norway
 

Hello Sandecker - a town near Oslo (Ulleval). They left in a time when Norway was a poor country (no North Sea Oil yet). My grandfather was simple mason. Unfortunately our family in Norway is somewhat splintered; my mother comes from Germany (met my father in Belgium during the war, another fascinating story) - our ties there are much stronger.