John's Military History
John enlisted in the military on October 10 at Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio. He entered as a private and eventually worked his way up to be a paratrooper. The paratrooper training was one of the most challenging when in the military. There are many steps to go through before a person can get their wings. They have to complete regular basic training, as well as go through different stages of practice jumps until finally, they reach the stage of jumping out of an airplane. John got his wings as well as a Good Conduct Medal from his jump training in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The 508th had a patch of distinction with a devil with a parachute on it. Something they said was "Diablo" which translates to "devil"-hence the devil on the patch. They called themselves the Red Devils accordingly.
When deployed for the D-Day invasion, the 82nd Airborne's (John's unit) job was to destroy the bridges that the Germans needed to travel their supplies. The bridge that John was a part of taking was the La Fiere bridge that stood over the Meredet River. This bridge was important because it led to St. Mere Eglise which was one of the most important check points that held supplies. When the 82nd Airborne went to make their jumps, they were suppose to land in a field that was caddy-corner to the bridge. Many men, including John, missed their jump zones and had to find out where they were and how to get to the bridge. This may not have been very difficult in normal circumstances, but on D-Day, the entire field that the gliders should have landed in was completely flooded. This added an entirely new challenge that the soldiers had to go through that they were not prepared for.
The fight at La Fiere was so iconic that the movie Saving Private Ryan based the fight scene in the city on the battle that took place at La Fiere. This battle was not an easy one for the Allies because of the immense amount of men that missed their drop zones. John was one of them and was lost in a place called Nijmegen. He was found and was buried in the temporary cemetery at La Fiere in plot A, row 3, grave number 41, then moved to the Normandy American Cemetery in plot C, row 24, grave 29 (pictured above).
When deployed for the D-Day invasion, the 82nd Airborne's (John's unit) job was to destroy the bridges that the Germans needed to travel their supplies. The bridge that John was a part of taking was the La Fiere bridge that stood over the Meredet River. This bridge was important because it led to St. Mere Eglise which was one of the most important check points that held supplies. When the 82nd Airborne went to make their jumps, they were suppose to land in a field that was caddy-corner to the bridge. Many men, including John, missed their jump zones and had to find out where they were and how to get to the bridge. This may not have been very difficult in normal circumstances, but on D-Day, the entire field that the gliders should have landed in was completely flooded. This added an entirely new challenge that the soldiers had to go through that they were not prepared for.
The fight at La Fiere was so iconic that the movie Saving Private Ryan based the fight scene in the city on the battle that took place at La Fiere. This battle was not an easy one for the Allies because of the immense amount of men that missed their drop zones. John was one of them and was lost in a place called Nijmegen. He was found and was buried in the temporary cemetery at La Fiere in plot A, row 3, grave number 41, then moved to the Normandy American Cemetery in plot C, row 24, grave 29 (pictured above).
D-Day, or Operation Overlord, was the largest amphibious invasion the world has ever seen. With almost 200,000 people involved in the invasion, Operation Overlord was initiated to take France back from Germany. This would be the beginning of the end for the Germans in World War II.
John was one of about 9,000 casualties in the D-Day invasion. His regiment accounted for 1,161 casualties out of the 2,056 that came from paratroopers.
John was one of about 9,000 casualties in the D-Day invasion. His regiment accounted for 1,161 casualties out of the 2,056 that came from paratroopers.