"By the time the average Christian gets their spiritual temperature up to normal, everybody thinks it's a fever!"
Watchman Nee
Norm's Daily Ramblins
JUNE 6, 1944 - NORMANDY, FRANCE
Click the Image to See Full Size Map!
I can still hear our Milwaukee Sentinel paperboy as he walked down the center of Cedar Street crying, "Extra! Extra! Read all about it. Allied Forces Invade France!" I was a month away from my tenth birthday. I remember my mother opened up the front bedroom window and asked the paperboy what he had just said. When she heard it again she gave me a dime and told me to run outside and get a paper. We still have that newspaper.
Many believe the invasion of France was the most important event in the human history of the world. I guess there would be few today who would agree to that. Seems that the further one gets away from the event, the more it loses its importance. With our schools teaching less than two hours about the Second World War, soon our culture will not even have a factual knowledge of important events in our country's history. I'm glad I won't be here to see it. What I see today is more than I want to know.
I'll never forget mentioning to an adult acquaintance that the anniversary of D-Day was tomorrow. His response was, "What's D-Day?"
Oh, my! The dumbing down process over the years has done its job to our culture. You and I have a responsibility to inform and excite those “who have missed knowing about our heritage” so they will pass it on to others. As they say, "We are one generation away from . . ."
So now you have a hint of why I like to communicate nostalgia and important historical events. I want to keep the Boomers informed and try to teach the younger ones who will stop long enough to check things out. I trust the attractiveness of today's page will be both entertaining and educational. For some unknown reason, The Normandy Invasion, D-Day, is probably the most important historical date for me in the year.
To start our D-Day observance today, we invite you to click the link at the bottom of this article and visit an excellent site that was created by the National Geographic Society.
A visit to this site will provide some superb background and "untold stories" of what happened on that incredible, tense, somber, fierce day 64-years ago.
This would be a good weekend to rent the movie "Saving Private Ryan" or for a less graphic portrayal,"The Longest Day."
It is D-Day. Here in Washington, D.C. It is 1:45 a.m. Precisely 64 years ago this very moment the 116th Regiment of the 29th Division was on Omaha. It was 7:45 a.m. Stephen Ambrose
in his 1994 bestseller D-Day: June 6, 1944 describes this moment 64 years ago to the hour:
"Major Sidney Bingham (USMA 1940) was CO of 2nd Battalion, 116th. When he reached the shingle he was without radio, aide or runner. His S-3 was dead, his HQ company commander wounded, his E Company commander dead, his F Company commander wounded, his HCompany commander killed, "and in E Company there were some fifty-five killed out of a total of something just over 200 who landed."
Bingham was overwhelmed by a feeling of "complete futility. Here I was the battalion commander, unable for the most part to influence action or do what I knew had to be done." He set out to organize a leaderless group from F Company and get it moving up the bluff.
By this time, around 0745, unknown others were doing the same, whether NCO's or junior officers or, in some
cases, privates. Staying on the beach meant certain death; retreat was not possible; someone had to lead;
men took the burden on themselves and did. Bingham put it this way: "The individual and small-unit
initiative carried the day. Very little, if any, credit can be accorded company, battalion, or regimental
commanders for their tactical prowess and/or their coordinated action."
And that moment 64 years ago carried into the future...
"From June 6, 1944, on to 1990, Bingham carried with him unjustified self-criticism: " I've often felt ashamed
of the fact that I was so completely inadequate as a leader on the beach on that frightful day." That is the way
a good battalion commander feels when he is leading not much more than a squad - but Bingham got that squad
over the shingle and into an attack against the enemy, which was exactly the right thing to do, and the only thing
he could do under the circumstances."
It is now 2:30 a.m. in my Washington, D.C. suburb. Up above Omaha and on that shingle where Bingham lead his squad out
of hell it is 8:36 a.m. By this time that morning the 116th of the 29th had placed their small piece of success in the complicated puzzle of the Normandy Invasion.
We must never forget the likes of Bingham and the countless others who placed the pieces that puzzle together.
Monty Kolste
Wauwatosa High Class of '54
University of Wisconsin Class of '58
Retired City Planner/Engineer
Columbia, MD
========================================
5:30 am June 6, 1944
Dear Monty and Norm,
Aptly put by the late Stephen Ambrose and by you. Thank you.
Just think about this. Probably only about 10%, maybe less, of our present population was alive at the time of this historical battle or for the other battles of WWII!
So is the nature of humans. It is the present and future they mainly look to for themselves and their families, and rightly so, BUT, someone has said, "If we fail to heed history, we are bound to repeat it."
I pray that our future leaders remember these words.
LESS WE FORGET
Our love and prayers to all our troops.
Jim Barrington
Wauwatosa Class of '54
University of Wisconsin '58
Retired
International Engineering Consultant
Downey, CA
GREAT LINKS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT D-DAY
For those who want more information about this historic day, visit the wonderful and informative sites we have linked for you below. Take time to look them over, especially you boomers and younger who didn't live the event. It will bring you to appreciate what happened in this most incredible, world-changing miraculous event in 1944.
Thank you for visiting Norm's Ramblins! It's a joy to honor the men and women of "the Greatest Generation who have always been my heroes -- as well as those who served in every war -- and be able to share my respect with others no matter how old you may be. I was never called to serve and did not volunteer. Went for my physical just as the Korean War ended and was never inducted. I guess that's why I'm so gung-ho about those who did go and those who gave everything for my freedom.
Our first family member who served his country in a military way was my great grandfather, Abram Plunkett. served with the 72nd Indiana Mounted Infantry in the Civil War and was one of Wilder's Brigade - a crack brigade that was instrumental in the march across Tennessee with the Army of the Cumberland, Battle of Chattanooga, Chickamauga and the move to Atlanta and it's seige. His unit was the first across the Chattahoochee at Roswell. I'm reading the regimental history right now. Truly amazing!
Then my Uncle Tommy Parfit was with General Pershing on the Rio Grande chasing Poncho Villa in training for their final trip to France and the Battle of the Arrgonne.
As a small boy, a deep respect for every military person was instilled in my mind and heart that has stayed with me in my old age. Whenever I see a serviceman or woman today, mainly at a restaurant or the Atlanta airport, I always go up to them, when convenient for them, to shake their hand and persoanly thank them for their life. Now, here's my memory. Do you have one? My email is not working on this site, but I'd like to hear from you... norman@peachmm.com
My next door neighbor, retired Col. Charles Crawford, has quite a legasy, His father, Retired Col, Robert Crawford was on Gen. Omar Bradley's staff and stationed in Ireland where they planned the logistics of the Normandy Invasion - D-Day Generation have always been my heroes... as well as those who served in every war.
Rolf Dehmel, an old classmate from Wauwatosa High School1953 and now resident of Breckenridge CO, Palm Springs and the lake country and the woods of Eastern PA, wrote: "In 1989, we visited Omaha Beach. It was a warm, sunny day with light breezes as we enjoyed a picnic of wine and cheese and thought about the significance of what lay beneath us as we sat atop a German gun emplacement. It was so peaceful, that it was hard to believe the site as a battlefield.
Upon departing, we happened to see the US cemetery and went into the grounds. There were four of us, and each took a separate path on a very hallowed place. We were overcome with emotion, seeing all those headstones in very perfect rows. I will never forgot what I saw that day and the meaning of it. Have you read Stephen Ambrose's book, "D-Day" ? I highly recommend it. Captures the spirit and contribution of all that made the landing at Omaha beach a success. ( Steve Ambrose was the roommate of another Tosa '53 classmate at the University of Wisconsin., my good friend Bob Becker. NP) The National Geographic depiction of what was involved was very well done.
Another Wauwatosa, WI classmate Jim Barrington, Class of '54, wrote the following: Hard to believe the paratroops were landing 64 years ago right now. Wow! I first visited the D-Day Beaches in the fall of 1955. I was ordered there to see if further demolitions of various fixed installations was still necessary. At that time a lot of the carnage had been removed, but it was still a very sobering place.
I have visited Normandy cemetery several time since, and in it completed form it is beautiful. We living can be proud of the AMBC and their continual care of these cemeteries. I have also visited a few of the other ETO AMBC cemeteries, and though not as large or well known as the Omaha Beach complex, they are well tended and somber. I have also visited a few cemeteries of both Allied and Axis solders in various parts of Europe and Italy. All are a reminder of just terrible can be the results of a few megalomaniacs in the world. I can only say that the United States we have known is here only because of the literal millions of our citizens that have fought and in many many case died to start and to preserve it.
Perhaps the saying that is the most meaningful is: LEST WE FORGET!
GOD Bless the USA !! Jim "Papa Bear" Barrington "54 So. California
By Jove, I think we have a modified "Blog" going here.... I've been doing this column and blogging for the past 12 years - long before the word "Blog" was ever thought of. Aren't those great letters? Thanks Rolf and Jim for enhancing the tribute I try to give each year. Now my memory when I was nine years old.
I can still hear our Milwaukee Sentinel paperboy as he walked down the center of Cedar Street crying, "Extra! Extra! Read all about it. Allied Forces Invade France!" I was a month away from my tenth birthday. I remember my mother opened up the front bedroom window and asked the paperboy what he had just said. When she heard it again she gave me a dime and told me to run outside and get a paper. We still have that newspaper.
Many believe the invasion of France was the most important event in the human history of the world. I guess there would be few today who would agree to that. Seems that the further one gets away from the event, the more it loses its importance. With our schools teaching less than two hours about the Second World War, soon our culture will not even have a factual knowledge of important events in our country's history. I'm glad I won't be here to see it. What I see today is more than I want to know.
TO THOSE WHO "GAVE ALL" FOR THE FREEDOM WE HAVE TODAY
And here is how you measure it -- "the greatest love is shown when a person lays down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 The Living Bible
We used this Scripture for Memorial Day and it's appropriate to use it again as we focus on The Normandy Invasion, because it applies to all those brave men and women since "the rue bridge that arched the flood." . This passage has always meant a lot to me. Jesus mentioned this as part of his teaching about the vine and the branches and how we need to be grafted into him spiritually. Jesus was laying the groundwork helping the disciples grasp why he would die on the cross to take away the sin of those who ask for that gift.
But it also is a beautiful verse to use in trying to describe the intimate sacrifice many have been asked to make down through the ages. To die for someone or some truth that is essential to life and freedom.
So many willingly and obediently put themselves in harms way -- and laid down their lives and died for our personal freedom. There are those who are willing to give their lives for someone special or for a cause they believe in. We see it in the news almost every day.
Here's a question. Is the sacrifice of a murderous, suicidal terrorist the same as one who lays his or her life on the line for the freedom and liberty? We could have an interesting and exciting discussion here. What gives meaning to the sacrifice of a life is the altar upon which it was placed. That shows the reason the life was willingly given.
These precious children In the Kansas klass passed the test. (Whoops a little spell problem)
What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895...
Charlotte Strickland, sweet farm lady friend from Ft. Payne, Alabama -- whose back property line includes part of Sand Mountain and the infamous Bat Cave that is even on Map Quest -- sent me this amazing and startling descripiton of what you had to know before graduating in Kansas in 1895. Who needed to keep going through 12th Grade?
Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895? This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS - 1895 Grammar
(Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no
modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph.
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal
parts of "lie,""play," and "run."
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of
punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. Wide. How
many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at
50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs? For tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the
necessary levy to operate a school seven months at$50 per
month, and have $104 for incidentals?
6. Find the interest of $512.60 - 8 months and 18 days at7%.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft.
long at $20 per meter? (Oh, my gosh - convert to metric?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) @ 10%
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the
distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell,
Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name event s connected with the following dates: 1607,
1620, 1800, 1849, 1865?
Orthography (Time, one hour)Do we even know what this is?
1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic,
orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each:
trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two
exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with
a word: bi, dis-mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball,
mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site,
sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate
pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by
syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver,
Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez,
Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital
of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the
same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean
returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination
of the earth.
Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete. Gives the saying "he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning, doesn't it?
Another message that is loud and clear is, What the hell has happened to our educational system? The kind of education shown above didn't get the student ready for globalism or socialism did it? Nor perpetrate the myth that "Everybody's gonna be a winner?"
And, NO! I don't have a teacher's edition of this test so don't write for the answers.
-np.
We're always honored by visitors. We do our best to provide new information on this "Ramblin" page ... and leave some of the stuff we think is extra good a little longer than the others. Please visit again.
We'd enjoy hearing from you. Drop us a note. We'd enjoy knowing you're visitin.' "Drop Us A Note" at: norman@peachmm.com
We extend to you an old Southern salutation you don't hear much... any more down here in Atlanta. "Ya'll come back now, ya'hear?"
Norman Plunkett
God is good -- ALWAYS!
And especially as He floods you with all the grace you need no matter what the situation. As you trust Him, God's grace is always just enough and always on time.
