73 years ago today June 6th 1944

[DFW]

27. My dad was still in England, shipped over France after the invasion

He was class of 1943, and had to graduate early to get down to Texas for his Basic Training. Then he was sent to England. His ship to France was torpedoed by a German U-Boot in the English channel, but he got off (last man). Later on, he had radio duty at Patton's camp the night Patton was killed in the motorcycle accident, said "all hell broke loose."

After the war was over, there was the logistical nightmare getting all our personnel shipped back to the USA, and the USA asked anyone in Europe willing to house an American GI to please volunteer, which families did all over Europe. One day, my dad's CO came into the tent and asked if anyone liked to sail. No one in his unit was a sailing enthusiast, including my dad, but he had the presence of mind to ask why. The CO said, "well, there's this really rich family on the shore of Lake Geneva in Switzerland......" Before he could finish the sentence, my dad said, "I like to sail!" and he ended up spending his post V-E time as a house guest of one of the richest families in the Geneva area. Good thing for him he had taken French in college. I'm sure it beat the hell out of jumping for his life off some burning, sinking wreck in the middle of the night in the English Channel, not to mention whatever else he went through. Like many soldiers in war, he did not talk much at all about his experience in France--only what went before and after.