VETS REMEMBER INVASION ON 48TH ANNIVERSARY

Many residents of the Cape Girardeau and Jackson area were drafted into military service during World War II. Some returned when the war ended in Europe in 1945, others did not. They are remembered on Memorial Day and other special commemorative days by a flag and a marker, with their name, rank, and serial number displayed as part of the Avenue of Flags in Cape Girardeau County Park.

Two men who returned from the war friends since boyhood and whose story adds to our bicentennial history are Dale Smith of Cape Girardeau, who as a boy and young man resided in Jackson, and Gilbert Sewing of Jackson. They were both sergeants.

They are the only two men left from here from their battalion who were in the first-day assault force at Normandy and the invasion of Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. This Saturday is the 48th anniversary of D Day.

It was the battle of the beaches that turned the outcome of the war and began to break Hitler's military hold and his dream of controlling all of Europe and more. Omaha and Utah Beach were where the heaviest fighting took place. They were heavily fortified by the Germans, and both beaches were where American troops landed on D Day.

Gilbert Sewing kept notes when he could. It was a form of relaxation. "I'd like to forget the war, but since Dale and I were spared, and so many from here died, I feel I should tell what took place, how they made the supreme sacrifice, because the modern generation, in fact most of the population today, has no knowledge about World War II, other than it was a hard fought war, and those who died are represented by flags in County Park that fly on special days.

"We had been intensively trained for this moment. The invasion was starting. We were on the LST-90 and everyone above and below decks was ill. It had stormed, the night was black, there was no moon, and the English Channel, the length of the French and English coasts, was boiling with waves from 3 to 5 feet high. The date was June 4, 1944.

"We boarded the big ship, a Landing Craft Infantry vessel, one of the 5000 vessels Winston Churchill had called into service for the invasion, scheduled for June 5, 1944. But the invasion headquarters, at Portsmouth, canceled the invasion date. The waves were too high, the troops would drown. It would take place instead after midnight, and be June 6. There would be more daylight, and hope for a calmer channel.

"We did not know at the time the Germans guarding the coast of Normandy had relaxed. `They will not come now, the channel is too rough. No need to awaken Hitler and ask for reinforcements.'

"But we were coming, 5,000 boats, large and small, 9,500 planes, and 176,000 troops, with more coming later. It was a five-beach invasion, covering the channel coast of Normandy. Two beaches, Gold and Sword, were to be taken by British troops; Utah and Omaha beaches by the Americans; and Juno by the Canadians. Omaha would see the worst of the fighting, with the heaviest loss of life. Dale and I were in Company A, Engineers Combat Battalion 149, trained to do everything to support the infantry. Our battalion was an assault force divided into four companies. We were assigned to Omaha Beach.

"The order was given to take to the landing craft. Over the sides of the big vessel we went, scaling down nets, fortified with sea sick pills, protected with uniforms covered with a chemical that would keep us from being burned if the Germans used poison gas as they did in World War I, that killed or maimed for life the men it hit. We were weighted down with 70 pounds of gear, besides life preservers. Even in the anguish of the ordeal, our past days flashed like lightening through our minds ... from the day of induction into the service February 16, 1943, and the numerous camps where we were billeted until this last one in England, where the exercise of doing the invasion was instilled until it was automatic, like driving a car. Then into a small boat (we went) to get us closer to the beach, wading through water, guns over (our) heads.

"Sherman tanks and paratroopers had been sent ahead to make our landing possible. But the device that was supposed to float the tanks failed and of the 32 put into the water 27 sank carrying the five men inside each tank to their death. The paratroopers went ahead in planes that flew too low because of the dark, rainy night and fog, the men's chutes did not have time to open and many fell to their death. They were supposed to knock out the German fortification on the cliff. Those that landed safely used their metal crickets, that sounded like frogs, croaking, to communicate with each other. The Germans wondered at the large young frog population in the marsh only to discover the frogs were men whom they captured.

"The underwater assault force had tried to clear the ... barbwire, mined, barricaded shore. The channel where we were put into the water to wade ashore was deep and without life preservers, we would have drowned. We tried to keep our guns up but it was hard to do so because the waves were so strong. All about us, bodies floated in the water. The water was red with blood. It was awful. There wasn't time to think. I wondered if we would get to shore alive. When we hit wet sand, I knew we had made it and we struggled to get behind a dune for protection. We were exhausted, wet clear through, gasping for breath, and afraid to think what was coming next.

"Fortunately our guns were not clogged with sand, and our ammunition was dry because it was protected. We began to fire. The rest of the day was spent fighting as hard as we could. ... As Americans we had no intention of failing our mission. The bullets tore holes all around us.

"But our lives were spared. Many of our company died, about 45 percent. We do not like to think about it now, except to say: `We were fortunate to hold Omaha Beach that day, and we remained on the beach for 30 days. There was much to do. We were on the clean-up crew that buried the dead. Their temporary grave was the beach where there is a beautiful marker today. As soon as we could, the bodies were moved a mile inland near St. Laurent on June 19."

Here under white Italian marble are buried 9,586 Americans, and on the crosses are names, ranks and serial numbers; 307 graves have a white marble cross and are marked "unknown." American flags fly over head, and the ground is covered with wildflowers. There is more to tell, but the message is "This Must Not Happen Again."

Dale Smith left a wife and a 5-month-old daughter when he went into the service. During the entire European campaign, she had no idea where he was because of the secret work he did. The same was true of Gilbert Sewing. His wife did not know his whereabouts and his daughter was 3 months of age when he left for the service. When both men returned at the end of the war their daughters were 3 years old.

The men received the French Legion of Honor Medal, four battle stars, Bronze Arrow Head for first-day beach landing on Omaha, Presidential Citation, European, African and Middle Eastern Theatre of War medals, Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe and Normandy Campaign medals, French Legion of Honor, Discharge Campaign Ribbon, and Battle of the Bulge Medal.

They returned without a scratch.

Normandy Beach Landing reunions are held every 20 years. So far there have been two reunions, 20th and 40th. President Reagan attended the 40th and placed a wreath on the beach marker.

Annual reunions are held in the United States. This year on Labor Day, the reunion will be held at Omaha, Neb.