D-Day veteran returns to Normandy and finds his portrait in the town

[Siwsan]

A Welsh D-Day veteran returned to Pont L'Eveque in France to find his portrait on a lamppost as one of the town's liberators.

Ted Owens has returned to France to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

He was a commando in the Royal Marines and a marksman. He landed on Sword Beach for D-Day on June 6.

Mr Owens says the enormity of the operation was hard to take in and he was not absolutely sure that it was real until the shells started landing around his craft.

Since arriving in France, Mr Owens has attracted lots of attention with locals stopping to take photos with him.

Ted says it is"absolutely wonderful" to be back for the D-Day anniversary and says he is very proud.

https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2019-06-05/d-day-veteran-returns-to-normandy-and-finds-his-portrait-in-the-town/?fbclid=IwAR36SOgmj_KfFNMmnqvJWso-mE2c8iEdpBX-NirV5h-kDDJgSACT5PjKICU

[hlthe2b]

1. I think I'd have walked around in constant tears had I been in Normandy today...

Beyond touching...

[Siwsan]

2. Same here

The CBC interviewed one veteran who declined to comment on what happened, when they landed. He'd talk about anything else - just not that.

[smirkymonkey]

3. How wonderful for him!

It must be a very bittersweet experience to be back there for the anniversary.

What a handsome young man he was!

[Phoenix61]

5. What a handsome young man to have

endured such grotesqueness.

[TNNurse]

6. Thank you so much for sharing this.

I went to the article and shared it around. This is what they deserve.

[Siwsan]

7. We are fortunate to still have them with us, to share their stories

I can't even begin to imagine what their memories must hold.

[demosincebirth]

11. Many don't discuss it because it brings back the vivid carnage of their battles

[Siwsan]

12. That happened during the CBC coverage, today

He wouldn't talk about the landing. He'd talk about anything else. Just not that.

[democrank]

8. Thank you for this, Siwsan.

~peace~

[patphil]

9. Can you imagine what was going through this guy's head in 1944 on D-day?

What am I doing here? Am I going to die today?
Will my life make a difference?
Will anyone remember me?

I guess he got those questions answered.

Patrick Phillips

[iluvtennis]

10. Wow, that's so cool.

[BobTheSubgenius]

13. What an incredible, and well-deserved honour!

There is a town in the Netherlands that still teaches students about their liberator, Leo Major. And when I say "liberator," I mean just that. Singular.

He either captured or chased out the entire German contingent that was holding the town of Zwelle. all by himself.

Amazingly, this isn't the only jaw-dropping feat he managed, in both WW2 and the Korean conflict. All this after losing an eye just after D Day (a day in which he managed his first superhuman achievement) and refused to go home, and later in the march across Europe, had his legs broken and broke his spine in 3 places after the vehicle he was in went over a land mine. When he was well enough, he knew he was going home, so he escaped from the hospital and rejoined his unit.

In Korea, he captured a hill and held off literally thousands of Chinese troops for 3 days. He didn't do this alone, though. He had 19 other men with him, so I guess it's not quite as impressive.

He was interviewed many years later and said "I fought in the war with only one eye. I did pretty good."

If you are interested in this kind of story, his is one for the ages.

[BigmanPigman]

14. He said it was LOUD during the landing and that made me think

of the beginning of Saving Private Ryan when Tom Hanks loses his hearing temporarily. If that film was like the real thing I can see why no one wants to talk about it, even 75 years later. War is worse than Hell.

[Marthe48]

15. Met the son of a WWII veteran a few years ago

He is married to one of my husband's cousins. He went visited where his father was stationed during WWII, an island off the coast of France. There is a bar there, and pictures of the American soldiers who helped liberate the island decorate the walls of the place. He had no idea the place existed or that his Dad's picture was on the wall. When the locals found out his Dad had been stationed there, they treated him like a hero. It was a really cool story.

I hope that the Allied troops who fought in WWII weren't just staving off fascism. We owe it to their effort and sacrifice to fight off brown-shirt black-boot governing forever. However we can fight it. Resist!