D-Day Recollections Bring Uncle, Niece Closer

On this anniversary of D-Day, we, as Americans, commemorate and pay homage to the American and Allied soldiers who fought and sacrificed so much in this horrendous battle intended to be the beginning of the end to Nazi aggression.

I received a first-hand account of D-Day quite by accident, about 20 years ago. I was staying the night with my uncle, who lived about 10 minutes from the airport. I had an early morning flight to Germany to join my husband who was stationed there, and though I was excited and eager to be with my husband, I was heartbroken that I had to leave my parents and loved ones behind. I could not imagine life without them.

Not able to sleep that night, I was sitting quietly in the kitchen when my uncle came in to join me. He held my hand and said, "You know honey; I was in Germany once. It was towards the end of World War II. It's a beautiful country. I know it will be a good experience for you, if you let it." He then went on to tell me that when in Germany, his was the unit that went in to Dachau, and it was then that he realized that D-Day was a necessity.

He didn't talk about the fighting that took place on D-Day, but he did say that he became angry and bitter after witnessing all the mangled and broken bodies. It was such a terrible loss, and he didn't understand why it had to happen. Later, he was in Dachau and saw what the Nazis did to human beings, for no reason at all; he understood that they needed to be stopped or they would continue to do this to people wherever they went. It was then that he understood what D-Day was all about.

We talked a little while longer I gave him a big hug and thanked him for helping me through a difficult moment.

I saw my uncle again several years later at a family reunion. "Saving Private Ryan" had been out for a little while, and I asked him if he had seen it. Though he was quite elderly at this time, he just smiled and patted me tenderly on the back and said, "Honey, I didn't need to go see that movie. I know what happened at Omaha Beach. I was there -- remember?" It was then that I knew he remembered our "special moment," and it meant as much to him as it did to me.

I shared this story with my mom shortly after my uncle passed away. She told me that he had never shared anything about the war with anyone before, and that he must have known that I needed him at that time.

I think of him a lot, but especially on the anniversary of D-Day. He was able to share just a little about an especially difficult period in his life -- to help me through a difficult period in mine.

Source: http://www.warchronicle.com/numbers/WWII/ddaycasualtyest.htm