By Kathy Jo Baumer
My Father, Joseph S Baumer, was a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne and participated in the entire European theatre of WWII. One of the many stories my Dad shared with me from World War II was D-Day.
This story always stood out the most to me.
Due to one Soldier who froze right before jumping out of the plane, he pushed my Dad faster up the line and out of the plane, causing him to exit head first, rather than feet first. When his parachute opened, it jolted him, along with 200 lbs of ammunition and weapons on his back, and he was knocked out. He laid on the ground for several hours before regaining consciousness.
He finally awoke to the sound of several German Soldiers around him. He was forced to play dead for several hours while they stripped him of all his weapons and kicked him several times. He continued to play dead for approximately 16 hours until he felt it was safe to get up.
Not knowing his whereabouts, his only saving grace was the clicker he was issued to help them find their way back to their group, in the event of separation. Thankfully, it worked.
Later, in the 60’s, a movie came out called “The Longest Day”. It was centered around the platoon my Dad was in. John Wayne played the part of my Dad’s Commanding Officer. I remember watching that movie on June 6th every year. My Dad Joe narrated the entire movie as if it were yesterday.
He was 20 years old when he fought in that War. He loved sharing those memories, so I thought I would share it with you.
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