My brother Ron and I had a favorite summer game when we were children. We’d play war. Those were the days when Combat was a hit television series and one of the top comic books was Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. Ron and I were the envy of all our buddies, for you see, we had real WWII army helmets to place on our heads and a real WWII backpack which we filled with stones to give it weight and make it that much more real.
We’d trudge through the combat grounds of that huge empty field behind our childhood home and eat peanut butter sandwiches in a foxhole we spent a week digging. War, at least in the eyes of a 10 year old, was a glorious thing.
And then, one summer morning, it all ended for us. Heading down to the cellar where our dad kept his WWII mementos – the German helmets, the backpack, the bayonet, eating utensils and the rest of it - we found only empty shelves. We soon discovered that our dad had thrown it all out. The war years was a time of his life he wanted to forget, at least for the period of time his children were young.
In time, I came to learn that June 6 1944 was a day that forever changed my dad’s perception of the world. He barely spoke of the war but for the few times he did, his eyes would fill with tears and his voice would tremble. He’d try to recount, in bits and pieces, the hell of the D-Day landing. And as he spoke of Normandy, his eyes would glaze and he’d look passed us as if that ugliest of days was playing out before him once more.
He could never recount much of that day before he’d break down and put his head down and cry. What I did pick up though was that my dad was only one of about 10 in his barge who lived to remember that day. As a young man I had read accounts of D-Day but it was not until watching Saving Private Ryan did I begin to get a sense of what it must have been like to land on the beaches of Normandy on that fateful day.
And so, to Joseph Piperni, corporal in the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, and to every other man and woman of the 156,000 who stepped foot on the beaches of Normandy, be you American, Canadian, British or other nationality, you will forever have my praise, respect and gratitude.
On that day, a day when over 10,000 allied troops were killed, wounded or went missing, you changed the course of history.
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Very very special message… brought tears to my eyes. Yes the landing and the battle in Saving Private Ryan was very nervewrecking and sad… I shy away from those terribly sad visions of suffering and pain as war brings… to me, to us, to our society!
Those of you that have the privilege to be in my facebook, there also is a half breed as myself and his father Joseph (american) was in the landing of Normandy and his wife tells how every single night of his life he would wake up in the middle of the night scared and sweating! Joseph is dead today, but I will just mention his name in his memory! and will post this on my facebook and tell him it is also in his honor!
Mario, thank you so very much for inspiring me this morning. Beautiful story seen from the eyes of a young boy and his brother in their adulthood! That is powerful. Thank you.
There has to be a better way than to have wars!
What a wonderful tribute. I have my father’s US Army memorabilia, although he was not a part of DDay, and I take great pride in his service.
Thanks so much, Mario, for sharing.
In between making my online chess moves, I opened Mario’s article and read the beginning of his account of his dad’s D-Day experience. As most of his articles do, it grabbed my interest immediately. Let me just say that I got goose bumps as I read the end. I know that we tend to think of D-Day as a glorious day for the Allies, a day worthy of being remembered and celebrated. This brief story showed me the other side of D-Day…..the suffering that the soldiers endured. In gratitude, I salut them all. Thank you also, Mario, for sharing.
Good stuff.
Thanks again Mario for sharing something so personal. As a veteran of the Gulf War I can only begin to image the horrors of that day 65 years ago but movies like “Saving Private Ryan”
really give perspective to it. I salute you,your father and all the other vets.
Thank you all.