Two young men donned their uniforms, said goodbye to their
families, and boarded the train. One, a young man who worked with his hands, enlisted
in the Army Air Corp and headed to Scott Air Force Base to attend radio school
training. The other, an artist/musician, traveled to the east coast after being
drafted. What they had in common was that
they were about to embark on a journey that would forever change the lives of
the entire world. There is a reason that men and women such as these were
called “The Greatest Generation”.
The young man who worked with his hands would eventually be
stationed in the South Pacific as a radio operator for the Army Air Corp, the
predecessor of the United States Air Force. He spent time on Christmas Island,
Easter Island, Palau, Peleliu, and Okinawa where one of the largest battles in
the South Pacific was fought. The following is an excerpt
from a letter this man wrote on September 2, 1945, while stationed in
Okinawa: “While I was at Peleliu, I learned of Tony’s (friend from back
home) death on Okinawa. It seems
rather strange but I am now located about two hundred yards from the Sixth
Marine Cemetery. From our area, we can see the white crosses gleaming across
the way. This morning I visited the cemetery and located Tony’s grave. What
kept me from crying out loud, I’ll never know but as I was kneeling before his
cross, my eyes and heart were filled with tears and all I could think of were
those happy days before the war. If more people felt as I do now, all future
wars would surely be avoided.” This man
returned home, married the woman he fell in love with through letters written
back and forth during the war, raised a family, and continued his service to
our country for twenty-five years. He proudly displayed the flag every morning
and removed it before sunset each evening. If you were asked (or allowed) to do
either for him, it was considered an honor.
After being drafted and going through a thorough background
check of both he and his family, the artist/musician was given the assignment to design
a large-scale model of Omaha and Juno beaches in German occupied France. These
models were used to plan the D-Day Invasion of Normandy in June of 1944. The
invasion was an attempt to stop the threat of Nazi control throughout Europe.
Ironically, this same young man was handed a rifle and found himself taking
part in that battle. He was part of the second wave to storm the same beaches
that he himself had made a model design. He was later quoted by saying “many of
my friends drowned that morning as the first wave was stacked up on the beach and the second wave had to swim to the
beach”. After viewing “Saving Private
Ryan” some fifty years later, the man stated “the film was very accurate”. This man returned home to his wife, welcomed a
son nine months later, went on to father four more children, and worked as an
independent commercial artist until his retirement.
These two young men were the fortunate ones to survive the
war and return home to their families. Many lost their lives including one
young man, a 23-year-old baseball player from the Midwest who stepped on a land
mine in Normandy and never made it home to his family. It took four long years
for his body to return to United States soil. His final resting place is Camp
Butler National Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois.
The men and women of World War II risked and sacrificed their lives for
our freedom. Some didn’t make it home, some were away from their families for
four long years, and some were wounded and physically unable to lead a normal
life once they did return home. As we go about our day, remember those who risked
and sacrificed their lives so that we can walk freely upon American ground.
These men and women took honor in our flag. To them, the flag was a symbol of
American freedom; fly it with pride.
Journalist Tom Brokaw was quoted in his book “The Greatest
Generation” "it is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has
ever produced." These men and women didn’t fight for fame. They willingly fought because they loved
their country and it was “the right thing to do”.
Today, let’s honor those who fought for our freedom and led
the way for us to speak without fear of retaliation, practice religious freedom
without fear of persecution, live without fear of attacks from our neighbors
throughout the world, and freedom to own our own homes, seek employment to
support our families, and obtain an education to better or lives.
If you knew or know at WWII veteran, consider yourself
blessed! Thank them as well as any
military person serving in any capacity yesterday or today. We fight a different battle today but none
like the ones fought in WWII that changed our lives forever.
In honor of:
Chester R. Starcevic (Technical Sergeant, 148th
Army Airway Communications)
My Father
Photo taken in front of his mother’s home in Peoria, Illinois
Orlin E. Clarquist (Staff Sergeant, 5th Army Corp Engineers)
A man I wish I had known, my father-in-law
Photo taken in Ireland during the time he was building the
models of Omaha and Juno beaches
In memory of:
Donald L. McDonough (Sergeant (Infantry Ranger), United
States Army
Killed in action, Normandy, France; July 27, 1944
My mother’s brother and my namesake
I have my grandmother’s wallet and this picture is still in
that wallet. She carried it with her for 44 years until her death in 1988.
