Unwrapping A Tribute To D-Day - 75 Years Ago - Romance Hasn't A Sole Claim On Heroes

My father in 1942

On this day, seventy-five years ago – June 6, 1944 – in the early morning hours of darkness, my father as a young 2^nd Lieutenant in the Army, and a member of the 82^nd Airborne Division, 508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment jumped out of an airplane over Normandy and survived being shot at by German gunners with spotlights to help liberate the town of Sainte-Mère-Église. Over 13,000 Americans and 7,000 British paratroopers fell from the skies in the darkness many hours ahead of the beach invasions of which D-Day is most famous. Not all of those 20,000 survived, not all were able to continue fighting because of injury and for the majority, it was their first experience with battle…including my father. These were young men doing things they never dreamed of doing but now had no choice if they wished to survive. Most were very young but they had trained well and when it was needed most, the hero inside each was there.

My father survived that fateful night and although injured, he continued on leading his company of men. He gained battlefield promotions and continued against the Germans through several more campaigns including the bloodiest at the Battle of the Bulge. Most of the journey through Europe was on foot as well.

The Battle of the Bulge was fought in snow feet deep. It's said the snow turned red with the blood of the fallen.

My father continued after the war with a career in the military, serving in the Korean Conflict and eventually, his final assignment was working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. I have always been proud to be his daughter and proud of his lifetime service to this country. Without men like him, who knows what our world would be had the enemy succeeded in their world domination. My father was and always will be my greatest hero.

Shannon L. Alder said, “Heroes are not made. They are born out of circumstances and rise to the occasion when their spirit can no longer coexist with the hypocrisy of injustice to others.”

This is true. The generation of men who served in one of the greatest wars to visit this planet were heroes of a sort we may never see again. They were not perfect. There were those who shunned their duty to their fellow man and there were those who took the wrong path and became an enemy to doing the right thing. But the majority of men and many a woman as well showed their honor, their bravery, and the hero which lives within every human being but only a select few are ever able to bring it forth.

The numbers of World War II veterans is quickly diminishing. My father left us on Veteran’s Day in 2016 but he never allowed June 6^th to pass without remembering the day and the sacrifices of the invasion. He would tell us about the things that went wrong, the things that worked, and the pure dumb luck which most likely saved many. He would’ve been 99 years young this year had he still been with us and I’m sure he would’ve remembered the day as always and possibly with a bit of amazement. Seventy-five years since the beginning of the end of the war which threatened the freedom of the planet but good triumphed over evil. God Bless.

In memory of all those who fought on the shores, the seas, in the air, across the different theatres and of course, on the home front—thank you for your service, the service of your family for supporting you, and for allowing us the privilege of knowing you and continuing to live in the freedom for which you fought to keep.

God Bless our military now and always. And Airborne All the Way! 

 

Unwrapping: Heroes

     The greatest Hero I know is my Father and today is his birthday. He is celebrating being 91 years young. My Father has lived quite a life and seen many things, some good and some not so good. He was a child of the Great Depression, and one of the first ever paratroopers in World War II. He was a proud member of the Red Devils (the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division) and jumped into Normandy on that eventful day in June of 1944. He met, married my Mother, and started his family that would later expand before being sent to participate in the Korean War. He has met Presidents, worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and after he retired from the military as a LtColonel, he worked in the private sector doing things we weren't supposed to ask about - those, 'if I tell you, I have to kill you' kind of things. He retired again, this time for real, and has concentrated on writing and living an easier life. He penned a compilation of personal accounts from his fellow WWII Red Devils in WE SERVED PROUDLY - THE MEN OF HQ1 and is currently working on an autobiography.

     Tom Brokaw called my parents' generation the Greatest Generation and so we should.  My Father was a hero as we think of heroes but my Mother was one, too.  She like many other women of the time, stayed home and waited, waited for husbands, brothers, fathers and friends to return from a war that cut them off completely from their loved ones. She held down the homefront while my Father was away serving his country and doing his duty to keep us free. They are among the unsung heroes among us that never asked for recognition yet deserve to receive it. 

    
     Heroes in Romance Novels come from all times and all places.  There are historical figures, Regency figures, contemporary heroes some featuring military men, service men such as policemen and firemen, and paranormal heroes. We love them all and enjoy the places they take us in our imaginations. 

     

     We love Romance Novels because of the strong heroes and heroines they provide us with that pull us into a life which we would otherwise not be acquainted but if we look around us, we might surprise ourselves. There are real heroes living heroic lives who are just fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and best friends. We know the heroes from September 11 and pay them tribute, I hope, each day. But there's also the hero masquerading as your neighbor who gets your stranded cat off the roof or mows your lawn because your husband suddenly died. Or the hero stranger that stops along the road to help with a flat tire or gives up his place in line because you have more items than he does. There are the loved ones that care for us and are there when we need them.  

     My husband is my everyday hero.  He goes to work every day, working long hard hours and comes home tired.  Every so often, for no reason other than he wants to, he brings me flowers or picks up something at the store that he especially thinks I'll like. When he's around the house, he does chores and is there to reach those things up high that I can't reach.  For all of the things he does and because he loves me, he's my everyday hero and always will be. 

     I try to do something nice for someone whenever I can ... hold a door open for someone even if they don't have their hands full, comfort someone when they need it or just say 'hi' and give a smile when someone is looking a little down.  We can all be heroes if we try.

     How about yourself? Do you have a Hero in your life? Perhaps you've been a hero to someone else ... have you ever reached out and done something for someone else without being asked and without asking anything in return?

     Happy Reading Everyone and Happy Birthday Dad!

My Mom and Dad - how about this for Romance - they've been married for 63 1/2 years.