I have a neat update, but first can I say a very *Special*
thanks to everyone who contributed to the more than 165 comments on my recent D-Day
post aboutD-Day veteran and friend, U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major
(Ret.) William “Bill” Ryan.
(I felt quite Alex
J. Cavanaugh-ish for at least a full day and even wondered if Elise Fallson would make me a
Mini-Mark… until I realized I would sound like a small store :(
From those in the Blog
Blitz army who answered the call of Allied Supreme Commenter Gen. Donald L. Hammons – to the “civilians”
who follow my blog on a regular basis, your response was amazing – and Bill was
truly appreciative when I talked to him.
I didn’t mention it, but for the last seven years, I’ve made
it an annual tradition to call Bill on D-Day. (Normally, he’s in Normandy or
somewhere else – he’s always invited
to related events in France, England, and Holland – but at least I can leave a
voicemail expressing my appreciation for his service.)
When I called this past Thursday, I was batting .142 (1 for
7), but I scored a home run when, to my delight, Bill answered the phone.
However, instead of being happy, I immediately asked why
wasn’t he over in Normandy? (I’m such a
dork, sometimes.)
“Well, it’s only the 69th anniversary, the big
one is next year,” Bill said. “But I’ll be heading to Holland in September.”
U.S. Paratroopers drop into Holland, Sept. 1944.
Now, I’m nobody’s big gurl’s blouse,
but I gasped (just like they do in the movies.)
“No way,” I said, holding my breath, because there was no way, was there?
“When are you going to be there?” I asked.
“I’ll be in Nijmegen the second week of September. Why?”
(I skipped the gasp and went straight for the
high-pitched squee… which may have
perturbed this old warrior, but he’s a good ol’ sport, is our Bill, so he
ignored my extended use of the higher decibel table.)
“Bill, I’ll be in
Amsterdam the same week (my dad and I have a long-standing vacation rendezvous.)
Nijmegen is only a couple of hours away by train.”
“Well that’s great to hear. We should plan to me--”
I ran over his invitation like a starved ‘80s groupie at a Depeche Mode concert.
“Bill, would it be OK if I tagged along to observe some of
the official events you’ve got going on? Promise I won’t be a pain,” I said,
snapping into full-on reporter mode. “Just me, my camera and a notepad. Two
notepads. Max.”
“Mark, it would be a pleasure, especially after
hearing about your post – and that so many people responded,” said Bill from
a phone in Melbourne, Florida, as we contemplated meeting in the historic Dutch
city of Nijmegen, which is more than 7,300 miles away from Honolulu.
After a few minutes, we agreed to swap travel itineraries and call again soon
to firm up the plans.
After sending Bill my best wishes, I put the phone down –
and the first thing I did was do the giddy dance made famous
(for me) by Laura Linney in Love Actually.
So, now, thanks to all of YOU who responded to the post, I’ve the chance to spend the day with “the other Private Ryan” (and hopefully a
bunch of other WWII veterans) as they participate in official ceremonies remembering
Operation Market Garden,
(September 17– 25, 1944.)
I flopped on the couch and contemplated the possibilities as
a kid-in-the-candy-store smile spread across my face like a slow Hawaiian sunrise.
Today, sixty-nine years ago, up to 4,000 American troops
died on the beaches of Normandy – in one
day.
D-Day.
I have the honor of calling one D-Day veteran a friend, U.S.
Army Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) William “Bill” Ryan.
U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) William "Bill" Ryan
Bill is a sprightly 88-year-old, retired Florida resident, but one who most
definitely still enjoys traveling to different parts of the world. (Currently, he’s trying to figure a way to
get over and see us here in Pearl Harbor :)
I first met CSM Ryan when I was a beat reporter for Hometown
News, a weekly, which at the time had nineteen issues and a circulation of more than
500,000 copies a week.
I interviewed CSM Ryan several times over the course of a
few months, and thought it would be appropriate, on this D-Day anniversary, to
pull together some highlights of the two interviews.
However, before I do, why don’t you meet CSM Ryan yourself. Click here for this amazing, two-minute video clip from October 2012.
(Go on. I'll wait :)
For my full print interviews, click here and here.
And now, for some highlights of the 2006 interviews:
A career soldier and veteran of
three wars, retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William Ryan, who served his
country for more than 30 years, walked a personal memory lane
during a recent visit to Melbourne's Liberty Bell Memorial Museum. CSM Ryan
said he’s looking forward to sharing some of his experiences with other local
veterans.
"They say a stranger is only a
friend you have yet to meet," he said. "I appreciate the invitation
and always enjoy these informal talks [at the VFW posts.] Staying busy helps me feel young and
definitely keeps me out of trouble."
One memorable occasion when he found
himself in a literal boatload of trouble was during the early morning hours of
June 6, 1944. During the initial phase of D-Day, historians have said the
armada carried more than 156,000 Allied troops into France.
Ironically, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower,
supreme commander, Allied Expeditionary Force, originally picked June 5 as the “unalterable”
date. As the day approached and troops began to embark for the crossing, bad
weather set in, threatening dangerous landing conditions.
U.S. Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (Courtesy army.mil)
After tense debate, Eisenhower
decided on a 24-hour delay, requiring the recall of some ships already at sea.
"Because of the rescheduled
date, we ended up stuck on our transport for quite a few days," said then-Pfc. Ryan, a young Army private assigned to Company I, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. "Many men were sick from the
cramped quarters and the rough seas. But, once we loaded
the boats and formed up for the 12-mile run to our assigned spot on Omaha
Beach, things became much worse."
Assured of a break in the
weather, Eisenhower is said to have begun the largest amphibious attack in
history with the simple command: "OK. Let’s go."
So, in the early morning hours of June
6, 19-year-old Pfc. Ryan disembarked from his transport
ship into a 36-foot "Higgins boat," or Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel.(
LCVPs carried about 36 combat-equipped infantrymen, or 8,000 pounds of cargo
from ship to shore.)
Pfc. Ryan's boat was one of more
than 3,000 landing craft, 2,500 other ships and 500 naval vessels - escorts and
bombardment ships that had left several English ports earlier.
Throughout those early hours, 822
aircraft, carrying parachutists or towing gliders roared overhead to the Normandy
landing zones, a fraction of the air armada of 13,000 aircraft that would
support D-Day. However, Pfc. Ryan said he was more concerned with what was
going on at sea level.
"Once we departed the lee side
of the transport, we were like a cork in a bathtub," he said.
"Everyone who wasn't already sick immediately became ill. I was lucky -
prior to my enlistment in the Army, I had served in the Merchant Marine."
On the way in to the beach, Pfc.
Ryan said he saw two boats lost to the high waves. Then the drivers of the four
remaining boats became disorientated due to a missing patrol boat that was
supposed to ensure they were on course to hit their assigned area.
View from inside a "Higgins" LCVP (Courtesy army.mil)
"The beach was also covered
with haze and smoke from the aerial bombardment, making identification of
landmarks impossible," he said. "Add to all of this a strong current,
and we ended up two miles off course to the east."
Retracing the route took time. When
they got back on course, another two rifle companies had already landed and
thus fouled up their landing beach, codenamed FOX GREEN.
"We were circling around like
great big sitting ducks,” he said.
He finally ended up on the beach,
but only after the landing craft suffered heavy damage due to the continuous
barrage of heavy fire by German soldiers.
According to Encyclopedia
Britannica's guide to the Normandy invasion, Omaha Beach was the second among
the five landing areas of the assault. The beachhead was attacked, in part, by
the U.S. 29th and 1st infantry divisions, many of whose soldiers drowned during
the approach from ships offshore, or were killed by defending fire from
embedded German troops atop the beach.
"Everything was crazy during
the last few yards of our approach," he said. "Then our boat was hit.
I was knocked unconscious and injured."
(He jokingly calls himself the “other Private Ryan.”)
"No, it wasn't me, but
(Stephen) Spielberg got it 99 percent right when he made the 1998 movie,
Saving Private Ryan," he said. "Everything was going crazy, and I
was knocked unconscious and injured when my boat was hit trying to get closer
to the beach."
What was the missing one percent in Saving Private Ryan?
CSM Ryan said it was the "Tommy
gun," an American-built Thompson .45 caliber submachine gun that was
standard issue during the war.
"All through the movie, they
never had to reload, not once," he said. "The Tommy gun was a good
gun, but it wasn't that good. I wish." He later discovered two men from his
boat dragged him ashore, placing him against a small embankment.
On D-Day, Wounded soldiers Were Pulled Toward the fight...
"To this day, I've never met
those two guys, but they sure did save one Private Ryan that day.”
Before he was evacuated back to England
later that night, he had a front row seat and observed all the organized and
mass confusion around him, not only on the beach, but in the water.
"Boy, if only I had a tape recorder
or a movie camera.”
Wounded Soldiers on D-Day Await Evacuation (Courtesyarmy.mil)
###
After recovering, Pfc. Ryan was
assigned to the 508th Airborne Infantry Regiment. He combat jumped into
Nijmegen, Holland, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge before ending in
Czechoslovakia at the end of the war.
While members of the media always
contact him around the anniversary of D-Day, when it comes to
what the armed forces accomplished during that dark period of the nation's
history, CSM Ryan said he's detected a general note of apathy among the
American public.
"I'm a representative of
another generation. That's why I like to speak to groups. I'm trying to ensure
our contributions will be remembered," he said. "I hope, by sharing
my experiences of the past, that I'm contributing to the future."
###
The last time we corresponded (I send an email… and
about a week later, a typed letter arrives at my door... which is awesome on
many different levels) Bill said he’s on Chapter 53 of a book “I swear I’m not writing.”
Boy, wouldn’t *that* be a story to read.
There’s also another reason why D-Day is very personal to me.
Holland was officially liberated May 5, 1945, but the first
Allied troops entered the Netherlands Sept. 9, 1944, on a reconnaissance
patrol. A small part of Limburg (in the southeast) was liberated by the U.S.
30th Infantry Division Sept. 12, 1944.
My father was born three
weeks later, Oct. 2, 1944, in Amsterdam, Holland.
Da is on the RIGHT (Holland) - circa 1960)
Me and Da (Ireland, 2005)
Ultrasound of Son No. 1 (Mama's Tummy, 2007)
So, Bill, I dedicate this post to you, and all your
warrior-brothers who fought for freedom on D-Day – and to all the men and women
back in the homeland who kept the ammo coming and the tanks rolling.
CSM Ryan, you and your peers really are founding members of
the Greatest Generation.
And, I thank you, and all D-Day veterans who read this, for their
service and their sacrifices.
Seven years ago,
I was at the home of a Holocaust survivor.
In the midst of
an interview with Shlomo Fleischmann, (now 90), about his life before and after
WWII, I looked up from my notes and asked had
he ever forgiven the Germans for what they did?
The question
popped into my head while we talked, and turned out to be the *money* question of the entire interview. He
opened up, became more relaxed and that interview with Mr.Fleischmann
remains a highlight in my writing career.
A beat reporter
for years, I ran hundreds of interviews and eventually discovered what worked
for my editors. (Never mind the readers - reporters write for only one person - their editor.)
I don’t think
some Bloggers work nearly hard enough to ask their own *money* question.
Obviously, I do what works for me, a Pulitzer-less
winning journalist. You are your own writer. I do, however, hope
a few of these suggestions will at least make you ponder your questioning
prose.
·If you’re part of a promotional bloghop,
don’t ask bland questions. The usual Where do you write? When do you write? and Where do you get your ideas? will be asked
by multiples of somebody else.
·Instead, wander outside the box. Research
your interviewee – with a trusty notebook and pen by your side. Read her bio. Peruse recent posts. What are his
writerly hot buttons? Look at the sidebars? Why did she win the Sweetest Tamale in Town award?
·Keep the interview under 500 words
(excluding brief intro, links and questions.) Readers will stick ‘til the end –
if they know it’s a quick read. (After clicking several pages in a fruitless search
for the buy links, I always suffer from Scrollitosis
and click my way to the next blog.
·Utilize your curiosity. You like this
Blogger enough to want to interview him, so ask unique questions – but keep the
answers short and sweet. Make sure your interviewee understands the edit pen
will be wielded – if the post strays over 500 words.
·Offer the courtesy of a first read. Many
won’t bother – they trust you already – but those new to your blog will
appreciate that no surprises await them.
·Include a picture (as long as the interviewee is not
someone called no-hyperlink-needed Alex.)
Back in Florida, Mr.
Fleischmann said there were many reasons he was able to forgive – but never
forget.
We
walked across the room to a closed cabinet door where he revealed two large
oval frames, each filled with a collage of family pictures.
On
the left was all black-and-whites. On the right, each picture was ablaze in
color, and each featured a grandparent or parent with a young child.
“Eighty-two
direct members of my family were murdered by the Nazis,” Mr. Fleischmann said,
pointing to the left. “These,” he said, smiling at the right oval, “these are
the survivors and the future of my family.
“Today,
some of my good friends are Germans. I don’t hate them or their generation. Why
should I? This was not their fault.”
Shlomo Fleischmann, April 2006 (Courtesy: Hometown News)
Set on thirty acres of prime, downtown land adjacent to Waikiki Beach and downtown Honolulu, the zoo is home to more than 1,200 animals and you can find out more here.
I’ll walk you around some of the places I know,
share my thoughts, pictures and we’ll see what happens.(Please note: For today, and in any future HI2 posts, I won't do "official" reviews, (because *you* try discover something about, say an Indian Elephant, as No. 2 Son screams and runs one way, while No. 1 Son runs screaming the other way - and No. 3 Son just screams.)
I’ll gladly take requests for anything on O’ahu – although
anyone who wants a review of the Honolulu nightlife will have to wait for years.
Everything I do is with the kids and/or the missus, so this
is all family friendly, PG-6. (OH yeah, no stopping this train, baby..... (until I have to add another quarter:)
Tortoise 1 on left: (Four months ago): “Dude, you go first.”
Tortoise 2: (last week): “No, pal, you go first.”
Tortoise 3: (in a huff) "Man, I hate traffic jams."
Who's looking at who, I wonder :)
PS… Outside the Orangutan’s area, there is a “Zookeeper Note”
that says, in part, “Due to the fact that we orangutans are normally quiet,
solitary animals, we can be very sensitive to noise…” (I pitied the beasts once my lot went through...)
If you don't want to discuss the 800lb Elephant, that's Diamond Head in the background.
Oh little ones, if only I could share what I know...
Papa? Did that man just Photo Bomb my perfect shot?
African Savanna: Land of interesting Silver Circles...
...And awesome animals that work hard in chilling out.
We don't need no stinkin' Banana Boat!
Aquarium in the Keiki (Children's) Zoo (there's a tunnel, too!)
Which of these two wants to explore the Petting Zoo area?
No. 1 Son: "I'm trying!" No. 2 Son (on knees): "Let me try." No. 3 Son: "Wottle. Milk Wottle."
So, now, thanks to all of YOU who responded to the post, I’ve the chance to spend the day with “the other Private Ryan” (and hopefully a
bunch of other WWII veterans) as they participate in official ceremonies remembering
Operation Market Garden,
(September 17 – 25, 1944.)
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