A letter of thanks to D-Day survivors

I was honored to attend in June the ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day and the beginning of the liberation of France. I traveled with veterans of the 29th Infantry Division. These veterans survived D-Day and then fought their way across France and Germany. I am a student of both demographics and World War II.

Don Null, 20, and Gale Garman, 23, landed on Omaha Beach June 6, 1944, as two privates in the 29th Division. I met them in 2004 when they returned to Omaha Beach and the French towns they liberated to mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day and the beginning of the liberation of France from Nazi Germany.

Don and Gale are now granddads in their mid-80s. Neither felt up to attending the 65th anniversary observances in June. Below is my letter to tell them what they missed.


Dear Don and Gale,

I just wanted to tell you that the French are still thanking you, praising you and honoring you for liberating them, their villages and their cities.

Men, women and children gathered in the rain, in the cold and waited for hours sometimes to honor you. More museums and more plaques now dot the Norman countryside to tell how you struggled and how many of your friends died.

You are rock stars in Normandy. Ten veterans made the trip. They were photographed, interviewed, asked for their autographs (even by generals) and headlined in newspapers. They sat behind President Obama at the June 6 commemoration at the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. They were thrilled.

The French are still giving you medals, plaques, five-course lunches and dinners to show their gratitude for their liberation 65 years ago.

French President Nicholas Sarkozy spoke for his countrymen when he told the assembled veterans and others at the June 6 ceremonies, 'We thank you and we will never forget you.'

The leaders representing the allied nations of World War II attended that solemn ceremony - President Sarkozy, President Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Prince Charles. That ceremony started 10 days of mayors, school children, French who remember the liberation and those who heard it about from their parents, thanking you and your brother soldiers.

Gale, there is a picture of you as a young soldier on display in Vire. Don, if your brother's name was James, I also saw his picture in Vire.

Here's a quick summary of 10 days of the current commanding general of the 29th Infantry and the French saying 'merci beaucoup' to you all.

Thursday, June 4. National Guard memorial on Omaha Beach. Gen. Grant Hayden, commanding general of the 29th, called you 'an army of teenagers.'

Gen. Hayden went on the entire trip giving speech after speech retelling of your youth, your bravery, your heroism and your hardships.

A platoon of young soldiers who worked very hard as aides-de-camp to the veterans accompanied Gen. Hayden. You would be very proud of that new generation.

That afternoon, your 10 brothers attracted a huge crowd as they lay flowers at the statute of The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves in the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. Lots of pictures were taken and autographs given.

Friday June 5. Frank Peregory Monument, Grandcamp Maisy. About 100 people, mostly French, gathered for the mid-morning commemoration at a memorial to T/Sgt. Peregory, one of two 29ers awarded the Medal of Honor.  This is a village of 1,800.

'The horror of war became your daily lives. . . We can never say thank you enough for all that you did for us,' Mayor Serge Bigot of Grandcamp-Maisy told the veterans.

Isigny. Remember the plaque they unveiled in honor of you and rest of the American invasion force five years ago? It was installed on the Catholic church in the town square. The square overflowed with people attending the June 5 dedication. People applauded as the veterans arrived for the ceremony.

'The people of the France and the U.S. have always been friends and will always be. Dear veterans, be sure that you are among friends here,' said Mayor G?©rard Quesnel of Isigny.  'The civilian and military victims were necessary to liberate Isigny and the rest of Europe.'

He said many people who live in Isigny now were living there in 1944. 'These people thanked you then . . . and they still speak of you in respect and admiration. .  . Freedom is always regained by hard battle. Freedom is easily lost and won back in blood.'

Inside the church, a stained-glass window to the right of the altar honors the 29th. When they rebuilt after the war, they installed the window.

Saturday June 6. After the big ceremonies at the Colleville cemetery, we returned to the 29th Monument on Omaha Beach at the Vierville draw.

About 100 French men and women were waiting in the rain for the ceremony.

Sunday June 7. Villiers Fossard. It was cold and rainy. About 75 people gathered for the unveiling of a plaque marking the battle for Hill 108. Two of the survivors of Hill 108 were with us.

After dedicating the new plaque commemorating the harsh struggle for the strategic Hill 108, we toured a new museum dedicated to the 29th in Villiers Fossard. Townspeople worked through the night to complete the museum, which features 29ers in the battle.

Monday June 8. St. Lo. It was pouring rain. No matter. The square in front of Major Thomas Howie's bust in the center of St. Lo was packed. It looked like a sea of umbrellas.

A French woman shared her umbrella with me. She was 14 when the 29th liberated St. Lo, she said.  I asked her why she was standing in the cold and the rain for the ceremony. 'C'est normale,' she replied. She said it was always important to remember and to say thank you.

After laying flowers at Maj. Howie's  bust and at St. Croix Church where his body lay, the city opened the doors of City Hall for a champagne reception in honor of the American soldiers. We returned that night for a five-course dinner.

Tuesday June 9. Finally, the sun returned. The people of Vire were gracious and welcoming as always. A crowd of Frenchmen gathered on the sun splashed Hill 203 overlooking Vire to dedicate a plaque to the battle and the 29ers who died there.

'Each year we honor the liberators, the 112 Americans who gave their lives to liberate our town,' the mayor said. 'I wish to express my deepest gratitude.'

He concluded, 'You gave us back our honor, our liberty and our democracy.'

Later in the town square packed with another huge crowd, the 29ers received medals from the children of Vire.

The people of Vire served a five-course lunch and later a five-course dinner at their museum in your honor.

Gale, your picture is part of a display here as is the picture of James Null, who, Don, I thought might have been your brother.

Wednesday June 10. More ceremonies, lunches and awards at the communes of St. Clair sur Elle and St. Jean de Savigny.

The people of Normandy will never be able to thank you enough. Neither can we.