European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse To army. Soldiers hit the dirt at Utah Beach ask Gerr Rran artillery zeroes in on the Landing troops. Care of radios and telephones for the 87th chemical mortar in. He arrived at Utah Beach in a Landing Craft 20 minutes behind the first wave of invading troops. Quot it was pretty crowded and it was pretty Slippery because everybody was getting seasick a he said of the boat. Once on the Beach near Qunneville Ostrum grabbed a Gas mask and an my Rifle a he considered his own mask too Small a from a . Infantryman who had perished Only minutes before. Being sick and Busy Ostrum did no to consider the Gravity of the situation at first he said. Quot i saw the platoon sergeant and he was pretty scared. That a when Quot realized i should be scared a he said his unit fired 40 or 50 mortars in front of the sea Wall. The soldiers dug Foxholes and eventually slept in them. The next Day a . P-47 fighter mistakenly strafed them. Someone let off an Orange smoke grenade the signal of Allied troops. The plane backed off. Quot they just waggled their wings like they were saying a sorry fellas a a Ostrum said. Then the p-47 attacked an ammunition dump. B-17s dumping triangular Metal bomb Racks nearly nailed him As Well. Quot they jettisoned them All Over the place. They did no to want to drag the Dang things Back to England. One of them landed about 15 feet from me a Ostrum said. The German air menace came at night when planes the americans nicknamed Quot bed Check Charlies trailed lights to spot ground troops. They dropped anti personnel a a Butterfly bombs. One killed Ostrum a Captain on the second night. The unit also lost other a v a. / a we went through quite a lot of second lieutenants. They were Forward observers and they kept getting killed or injured a Ostrum said. After the War Ostrum became a product direct current motors and generators for general electric. Retired since 1985, he donates his time to meals on wheels and other Volunteer groups. Mathwin born in England became a . Citizen in the army and retired As a lieutenant colonel. Speaking from his Home , va., he said he dropped with the 101st airborne div Over Pouppeville South of the current Utah Beach monuments at la Madeleine. A lieutenant called to Active duty Mathwin was a Supply officer for 3rd in. He did no to see combat for three or four hours after Landing and even then not much. On d Day he took a patrol of four or five men around Pouppeville to flush out germans. Other americans beat him to it. A by the time we got around there it was All Over a he said. When the battalion went to nearby , Mathwin got a jeep from a glider and used it to pick up supplies. Asked whether other troops envied him for having a relatively Low risk Job he said a a in a sure they maybe Way but we did t talk about Mathwin returned to Utah Beach a few Days later to shuttle supplies Back and Forth but never again after that. After his retirement from the army he worked 14 years for his county a health department. Rinkes a retired Goodyear Engineer living in Canton Ohio arrived at Utah Beach on june 18, 1944. He was unimpressed with american Progress up to that Point. A we were Only in eight Miles when 1 got there a he said. A they did no to move very Damn Rinkes worked in the Turret of m-51 anti aircraft guns among a a Green troops who eventually like Ostrum got caught under tire by . Planes. The same barrage also took the fight out of a German unit trying to slip up Yivone a Side of the american troops he said. A they was tearing off their underwear trying to wave something to get us to Stop shooting at them a he said. Of the three veterans Only Mathwin said Utah Tkach May have been a personal Milestone that affected his later life. None of the three plans to return for the 50th anniversary celebrations however. A i figure hey they have it like it was when i was there a Ostrum said. 1 be added a fall you re going to see is a Bunch of old Guys. I just did no to think the trip was Worth it to me.�?�. Said Mathwin a i guess ill be looking at the Garden or going Rinkes was the Only one who showed interest in returning to France. A a in a like to go Back but my wife does no to like to travel a he Soldier makes his peacewm1 Vii wounded Veteran at Utah remembers sacrifices of fellow soldiers la Timothy . New York Bureau so Taff sgt. Irving Bradbury was crossing a causeway in a marshy Section of Utah Beach the afternoon of june 6, 1944, when a heavy barrage of shelling forced the men of his company to dive for cover. That was when the Young radio operator from Lowell Maine made his separate peace with world War ii. Quot a i hit the ground. I Felt something hit my Heel a remembered Bradbury who was with g co 2nd in 8th inf 4th div. A i never did feel a pain but when i looked Down the whole left Heel of my Boot was pieces of shrapnel had Lorn into his foot and up on his thigh. But the adrenalin of Battle made the abounds seem insignificant. When the shelling files amps Tim Cahill Irving Bradbury before Landing and today. Stopped and Bradbury Rose to move on the real. Damage was done. A a i Felt the leg go pop. Broken ankle a he medic filled the wound with Fulfur and some time later Bradbury was evacuated with other wounded by a Navy detail. The oleic or who a collected Bradbury had two German prisoners with him whom he put to in Media a use. A the carried his .45 in his right hand a Bradbury said a and made the two germans carry me and my gear Back to the Aid station on the Here in an Encampment set up against a Small Bluff Bradbury waited for transport to a troop ship. There was plenty of time to recall what he had seen already that Day the planes a like a Black blankets overhead so thick a it looked like you could walk on them All the Way to the Beach the pre Dawn shelling of Allied ships tender zing the Shoreline the explosions making colors that a i never knew existed that id never seen before or since the fellow beside him As they waded continued on pug 24 june 6, 1994 a stars and stripes commemorative edition 23
