Local author recalls interviews about D-Day veterans

Thousands of men died and thousands more were wounded on this day, 75 years ago, as troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and France began the invasion of Occupied France that, nearly a year later, would result in the end of World War II in Europe.

Dubbed "D-Day," the BBC called it "the largest military naval, air and land operation ever attempted, and (it) marked the start of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied northwest Europe."

A number of Mid-Missourians were involved in that invasion, although military historian Jeremy Amick told the News Tribune: "I do not know that anyone has those numbers."

The military didn't keep track of its troops' and sailors' hometowns or counties, he noted, since they were more concerned about waging a war and having the manpower to battle and defeat the Nazis and their Axis allies.

And the soldiers who survived the D-Day invasion and the heavy battles of the following days now are in their 90s - if they're still alive.

Amick - who writes a weekly column about veterans for the News Tribune - said this week he's not aware of any Mid-Missourian still alive who survived the D-Day invasion.

"I've written about several (of them)," he said, "and I've interviewed five or six.

"And I've written about a few more, deceased D-Day veterans, based on the recollections of family members and documentation I was able to obtain, as well."

When asked about common traits among the Mid-Missourians who were part of the invasion, Amick said: "If I recall correctly, all but one was a draftee.

"So, there were individuals who had no choice in the matter, they were drawn into the service because of the Selective Service and Training Act, and they were just doing their duty where they were told, and when they were told.

"And hoping to survive."

A lot of them didn't know their mission until the morning of the June 6, 1944, invasion.

The survivors had harrowing stories to tell.

"One of them was Perry Coy," Amick said. "He was a Jefferson City veteran who passed away in 2013 - (and) a very good friend of mine."

One of the lesser-known facts of the D-Day invasion is that it didn't happen all at once.

There were waves of soldiers carried across the English Channel by small Navy boats, who would discharge the troops, then go back for more.

Coy was in the second wave.

"When they were coming up on the beach, they were taking the shells from the German forces, hitting the water around them," Amick recalled Coy's story, so the Navy personnel "stopped their landing craft some distance off (the beach), dropped the door and told (the soldiers) to get out.

"But he had 90 pounds of gear on and, when he jumped into the water, he said he almost drowned. He sank to the bottom of the channel, and he had to unharness all of his equipment to keep from drowning, and then he managed to swim to shore.

"One of the things that really stuck out was, he said, 'There were so many bodies and stuff there, that we had no problem getting replacement equipment.'"

Amick developed his love for military history, and the veterans who helped make it, from hearing stories from his father and uncle about their experiences as Marines serving in Vietnam.

Then, when he was in the service, "I was stationed a couple years at Jefferson Barracks, in South County St. Louis, which is the oldest continuously operating military post west of the Mississippi (River)," he said. "So, I was immersed in a lot of history, there."

A couple of Hollywood productions also had an impact on him, including "Saving Private Ryan" (which begins with the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France) and "Band of Brothers," a TV mini-series. Actor Tom Hanks and Producer/Director Steven Spielberg were involved in both projects.

"I started researching some more of that specific moment in history - not just World War II, but around the D-Day period - and I found out that a lot of these veterans who had served in France and helped liberate France during the war, were eligible for the French Legion of Honor medal," Amick recalled.

"So, I identified some local World War II veterans who might qualify for the French Legion of Honor medal, and I interviewed them and worked with the French consulate in Chicago to submit them and nominate them for this honor - and they were selected for it."

That got him started on the newspaper columns and the continuing interviews with veterans of many wars.

However, of the World War II soldiers that broadcaster/author Tom Brokaw has named "The Greatest Generation," Amick said he's impressed with their resilience.

"Just imagine the people who were actually living that hellfire and living that experience first-hand, and how they could come back and not carry those emotional wounds with them for the rest of their lives," Amick told the News Tribune.

"Many of them did (have emotional wounds) but, the fact they were able to return to their communities and become productive citizens and re-integrate into society and do great things after the war, speaks volumes about that generation and how tough they were."

Many people alive today were born well after World War II and Korea - and, maybe, even after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 - including Amick, who was born in 1976.

However, he said, it's still important to understand the impact of the D-Day invasion - even if it did happen 75 years ago.

"There's a good chance that all of Europe could have been consumed in that war, had we (Americans) not intervened," he said. "(It showed) that we're not going to bow down to dictatorships and allow them to spread their beliefs across great swaths of (the world)."

Amick added: "These are stories that need to be preserved, first-hand if possible.

"It's important to collect those while we still can, so we can have a first-hand grasp on what occurred during the invasion, what they went through - so those stories aren't lost to the fog of history."

See more D-Day coverage in the 48-page special section commemorating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion inside the June 6, 2019 e-edition of the News Tribune here.