D Day Anniversary Today

[floydragsdale]

D Day, June 6th 1944 and the 106th Infantry Division have nothing in common. In fact, on that day, I hadn't even heard of the 106th Division.

I missed the D Day affair by the count of one man. However, a number of my fellow soldiers took part in the D Day invasion on the coast of France. For some of them, it was to be their first and last major campaign. They never left the Beaches of Normandy, France alive.

The casualty rate of that major effort and the advance across France had a profound effect on the deployment of many 106th Soldiers at Camp Atterberry. Thousands of 106th Infantry Division Soldiers were shipped to Europe to be replacements for the wounded and k.i.a. after the invasion of the coast of Normandy and the liberation of France from several years of Nazi rule.

As a result of all of this activity, I became a member of G Company, 424th Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division in late August, 1944.

Little did the Soldiers of the 106th realize that a few months later they would hold, for a few moments in history, the fate of our nation and the world, in their hands, durig the Battle of the Bulge.

Floyd
Co. G
424th Regiment

[Carl W.]

Thanks for this reminder Floyd. I've walked the beaches of Normandy many times in the past. Just like the Ardennes and every other town in Europe it is uncanny to think of what must have taken place there 68 years ago. Only the rows upon rows of white crosses remind us of the ultimate price some payed for freedom.

Greetings!
Carl

[andrej]

Floyd,

I managed to visit Colleville-sur-Mer cemetery on June 6th this year. Been there many times before but still am impressed by it. It was quite busy that day and even some veterans made it over despite their high age.
We met up with this veteran which I think is Major Henry "Duke" Boswell who served in the 82nd AA DIV.

[connie]

The 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landing on the beaches of France is only a matter of hours away. As Floyd mentioned above, he was to come to the 106th after D-day as a replacement for troops plundered from the Division as replacements for troops lost.

According to a report by General Alan Jones printed in The Cub of the Golden Lion Passes in Review the raiding of the division for troops began before D-day and continued afterwards. The first wave (2,800 men) was shipped to replacement centers immediately after the Division's April arrival at Camp Atterbury (following maneuvers in Tennessee). Like the rest of the nation, the men of the 106th soberly watched the reports of the invasion. But there was an extra connection to the division. Certainly there were men who had trained with the 106th Infantry Division who were now a part of other units and involved in this invasion...

As someone who was not yet born at the time I can only watch, listen, and feel a growing reverant awareness of the impact and the emotions surrounding this day...