Veterans Remember
World War II — “The Big One”
They’re known as “the Greatest Generation”—Americans who came of age during the Great Depression and fought in the Second World War.
In honor of Veterans Day, we present a few heroic tales about some of our fighting men who survived WWII.
Daring Devotion to Duty
On the morning of Jan. 24, 1945, Lt. Garlin “Murl” Conner risked his life against insurmountable odds in the woods of eastern France. Having recently recovered from an earlier wound, Lt. Conner volunteered to run straight into the heart of an enemy assault to get to a position from which he could direct American artillery on the advancing enemy forces.
In the frigid cold of that day, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Conner ran alone toward an attacking battalion of 600 German soldiers and six Panzer tanks.
For three hours, he endured the repeated onslaught of German infantry, which had advanced to within five yards of his position. At one point, Conner even ordered friendly artillery to focus directly on his own position, resolving to die if necessary to stop the German advance. He continued to direct artillery fire on the enemy assault swarming around him until the attack was finally broken and the enemy advance halted.
For his actions, Lt. Conner posthumously received the Medal of Honor.
The Art of Deception
Gilbert Seltzer led a platoon of 1,100 men dubbed the “Ghost Army,” comprised mostly of artists, creatives and engineers. Their mission of deception was classified as top secret for 50 years.
From inflatable tanks and rubber guns, to phony convoys and wooden planes, to spreading misinformation in taverns, they used any possible trick to fool the enemy. Here’s his war story in his own words:
“We would move through the woods in the middle of the night, going through villages in Belgium and Germany. We would turn the sound on so it sounded like tanks moving on the roads. The natives would say to each other, ‘Did you SEE the tanks moving through town last night?’ And they were not lying; they thought they were seeing them. Imagination is unbelievable.
“[In active combat] the goal was to draw fire away from the real battery to us. For instance, when the Rhine was crossed, we were able to get the German army to assemble opposite us, firing at us. When the actual crossing was made, about 20 miles to our north, there was practically no resistance.
“Some people say we saved 30,000 lives. I don’t believe it was 30,000, but if we saved one life, it was worth it.”
Gilbert died in September 2021 at the age of 106.
In the Company of Heroes
In 2018, eight survivors of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, returned to that hallowed ground to commemorate their fellow warriors. Here’s their story;
AG Law salutes these men and all our veterans
who have sacrificed so much
to keep our country safe and free!
Sources:
Featured Image: Adobe, License Granted
Military Times
U.S. Army