In the Footsteps of John's Dad

Jour J, they call it in France: we know it as D-Day. It was the largest military operation in history, part of the largest event in human history, World War II. On these beaches, in June 1944 the Allied forces invaded German-held France and in less than a year, the Nazi regime would be over.

We have come to Utah Beach because John's dad, John Carroll, landed here with the 358th Regiment of the 90th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army almost 72 years ago. We are planning to retrace some of his steps in the area.

We know where he was because we have some of his letters. John's cousin Mary Cosgrove wrote him faithfully during the war and he wrote back when he could. His cousin later gave about 30 letters to John's mom and a few years ago, we found them in the house. Here is an excerpt of a letter.

This letter was written well after the events they describe. Soldiers had to be careful what they wrote about and could not include their location or other identifying information. Look what happened if they did. 

It's almost as if John knew the letter would be censored.

John, like so many millions of other men, were ripped from their wonderfully ordinary lives because of a couple of murderous madmen (and their followers) who wanted to take over the world. For him, World War II started at Utah Beach in the Normandy region of France.

We spent time wandering this beach, trying to imagine what it must have been like to approach the shore from some kind of landing craft, not knowing what to expect.

The loss of life at Utah Beach was not nearly as great as that at Omaha to the south, in part because it was not as well fortified by the Germans. There were still some defenses, though.

Luke standing on top of a German bunker.

This didn't stop the troops.

We had lunch on the beach at The Roosevelt Memorial Bar, named after Brigadier General Teddy Roosevelt, Jr, son of President Theodore Roosevelt,  and one of the heroes of D-Day. 

After lunch, a French man in his sixties came up to me and asked if I was American. When I said that I was, he extended his hand and said, "Thank you very much." I told him my father-in-law had been part of the D-Day invasion. We had read that the French in this area continue to be very grateful to the Americans for liberating France.

Afterwards, we went to the excellent museum at the beach. In the museum, we learned about the French resistance and how respectful the French were of the American soldiers both in life and death. 

We also learned that the Utah Beach landing site was added at the last minute. It turned out to be a very fortuitous addition. More than 800,000 American troops and tons of equipment would later land at Utah Beach.

Including 40,000 men of the 90th Division, the Fighting 'Ombres.

John stands in front of the 90th Infantry Division Memorial, pointing to the plaque listing the regiments, including his dad's 358th. Out of 40,000 men, 3,340 are killed and 18,051 wounded in the European Theatre.

We leave Utah Beach to find a couple of towns John's dad mentioned in his letter: Chef du Pont and Orglandes. Chef du Pont is not on the map above, but it is between Sainte-Mere Eglise and Pont L'Abbe, both places the 90th Division also passed through. We also know the Division's movements from an online history on the 90th's fighting in France.

As we pass through the gently rolling French countryside of Normandy, it's hard to envision this now peaceful land as war torn and occupied.

Above are the infamous hedgerows that Allied intelligence didn't take into account. This territory was easier to defend than take.

We arrived in Chef du Point, where John said his regiment first contacted the enemy. We went to the church because we felt that this would have been a place John would have gone to in the town, if he'd had a chance. We wandered around the grounds a bit, not a soul in sight. Many of the small French towns seem almost deserted, despite the presence of businesses and homes. As we walked, the bells of the church began to ring and the man below materialized.

His name is Aubrey Martin, and he had the keys to the church. He let us in.

We said some prayers in the beautiful church. Most of the churches we've been seeing in the French countryside are of the simple Romanesque-style, unlike the Gothic cathedrals in France.

Aubrey is 93 years old, only six years younger than John would be if he were alive. He was 22 during the D-Day invasion and away at school, but his family remembers the American soldiers.

A sign on the side of a building in Chef du Pont: Liberation Street.

We bid adieu to Chef du Pont and traveled on to Orglandes.

It was in Orglandes that John said he he got his "first baptism of fire in quantity."

This house would have been there when John's regiment passed through. We headed for the church. Once again the church bells started to ring and look what we found.

The plaque above reads: In honor of our liberators, the 9th and 90th Divisions on the 50th Anniversary of the June 17, 1944 liberation.

The 90th pushed through France and on into Germany, where they liberated the Flossenberg concentration camp. John would remain with the 90th in Europe until November 1945, several months after the war was over. 

In the Utah Beach museum we learned that the 90th Division's "lack of combat experience, inadequate training, and command issues" led to heavy losses in early battles in France. But the boys learned quickly. They begin fighting and winning difficult battles and by the end of the war the 90th is considered one of the best infantry divisions in Europe.

In his letters, John continually minimizes his own contributions to the fighting. Later on, like many WWII veterans, he didn't talk about his experiences. John didn't know his father was awarded the Bronze Star for valor until a few years ago when we found it in the house.