European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Blood Omaha a time for prayer and death by Isakk Kinkai staff writer sgt. Noel a. Dube asked god to forgive him for his sins As the Landing Craft slipped into the Choppy English Channel Early june 6, 1944. The invasion was finally on. Thousands of americans packed in tiny Landing Craft were blowing toward the French coastline of Normandy and the door to Adolf hitlers fortress Europe. As far As Dube was concerned it was about time. The 24-year-old squad Leader from Pepperell mass., was tired of constant training false starts and rumours. A we knew that sooner or later we were going a Dube said. A but in the marshalling area in England this was the first time a chaplain came on Board before we left and it w As also the first time we were briefed on our specific role a As part of the 121st combat engr Dubets squad was supposed to land at the Eastern Edge of Omaha Beach and Advance to a draw near the Small French town of i Orville sur Mer. Once through i Orville the squad was to bivouac that night in a nearby Field adjacent to a farmhouse before linking up with units coming from Utah Beach. Dube was confident As he squatted Low with his fellow soldiers in the Landing Craft headed toward Omaha a i did no to really feel anything too different a he said. A except i made up my mind that this was the real thing. This was really happening Quot Dube was in the sixth or seventh wave of the assault. The Landing Craft beached near Wierville crowding next to another Landing vessel that had hit a mine. The men on the other Craft were Yelling at Dubets vessel. They wanted it to Back off so they could get out of the burning Hulk. The coxswain on Dubets Craft reversed engines and pulled Back into the Channel. When they finally beached Dube and his men were More than one mile from their original Landing zone. But the Landing was fortunate Dube said. Many of the men who died on a Day drowned Law a a. Tsi Ltd 1 american troops hit the Beach at Omaha along with Hal tracks and artillery being moved Inland. Lost most of their equipment. As Dube and his platoon sprawled on the rocks Brig. Gen. Norman d. Cota 29th inf div assistant commander told the sergeant and his 15 men to move out. A the Only americans on this Beach will be dead ones a Cota told Dube adding �?o29th, lets  a. A a when they arrived at the draw another company a commander ordered Dube and his men to blow the Wall. A was we got nearer the Wall we discovered it Wasny tone but two Walls a Dube said. A we later were told it was part of the Maginot line moved by German Field marshal Erwin Rommel to Block the Way off the  on the Beach the massacre continued. Many of the foot soldiers were scrambling up the 100-foot embankments above the Beach. But support equipment like tanks jeeps trucks and supplies needed roads to get off the Beach. To sustain any invasion Effort troops needed the support equipment. Those roads ran through the draws. The platoon found two bulldozers on the Beach loaded with 10 tons of dynamite that were to be used to blow All the Walls Quot a blocking the draws Dube and his men moved the explosives and wired the Walls. The explosion at Wierville rained Concrete for nearly a minute Dube said. A huge fireball flew out to sea and when the smoke cleared the dynamite had blown a huge Hole through both Walls. A tank moved in to Widen the Hole then Dube and his men slipped through toward Wierville. It was almost 6 p.m., nearly 12 hours since the first Landing Craft touched Omaha. Dube and his men were at the Crest of the assault wave moving Inland toward Paris. In time he would help liberate Many major French towns As the War pushed toward Germany. But he never forgot Normandy. A you can to help but be kind of proud that you were part of the invasion and it was a Success a Dube said. A when i stand at that Beach i can almost see myself assaulting the beaches. It is so peaceful there now. Its unbelievable to see so much peace  Noel a. Dube landed at Omaha Beach As a 24-year-old squad Leader. Today he lives in Pepperell mass. A. Because they carried 60 pounds of equipment on their backs when they hit the water. They were dragged under by the weight. His Landing Craft beached on heavy rocks and pebbles completely Clear of the water Dube said. 1 \ a this had to be the answer to my prayers a he said. A i  swim a stroke. I had seen Many men in the water earlier trying to stay afloat and others floating on the surface. As we waited on the Beach for our  As More americans crowded the Beach German resistance began to crumble. Dube and his men moved toward Wierville draw to meet up with their company commander. They discovered later that he had been shot through the head As he ran off his Landing Craft. A. A a a the Beach was a morgue of dead soldiers Dube said. A in some places you had to step on the bodies to get past a Dube said. With heavy mortar fire and artillery rounds dropping around them Dubets platoon took cover on heavy rocks near the Edge of the Beach. The original Battle plan was temporarily shelved because the draw was blocked by huge Concrete Walls and the engineers who were supposed to blow the Walls were either dead in the surf or had 10 a stars and stripes commemorative edition june 6, 1994