Utah Beach Valor

Tuesday’s editorial praises the citation of an 88-year-old Myrtle Beach man for his valor on D-Day.

The liberation of France from Nazi Germany began with Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day: June 6, 1944. Leonard A. Gardner, Brooklyn, N.Y., now of Myrtle Beach, was a young second lieutenant in a LCVP – landing craft vehicle personnel – as the massive invasion began and being honored for courage by France was not in his thoughts.

On Thursday afternoon at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Gardner will receive the National Order of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest decoration. He is one of 10 World War II veterans in the Southeastern United States receiving the honor from Pierre Vimont, France’s ambassador to the United States, nearly 66 years after Normandy.

The long years between then and now hardly diminish Gardner’s feelings about the honor: “I was excited; I was elated’’ to know he will receive the high honor after all those years.

Gardner landed on Utah Beach, one of the two United States assignments, the other being Omaha. Three other beaches, Gold, Juno and Sword, were British and Canadian assignments. This was Operation Overlord, under the command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower who later served two terms as president (1953-61). Overall, 175,000 Allied troops and 50,000 vehicles were on the beaches and the invasion of Europe was under way.

Gardner recalled his experience on Normandy in a Monday Q & A of The Sun News: “It was, of course, frightening when you’ve got people in concrete placements firing down at you as you came in, and you had to cross 100 yards of open beach. ... Once we became consolidated on the beach, we were able to move together as a unit and wipe out the Germans who were facing us. We had to move inland and link up with the paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne, who dropped in from the other side.”

In his book of “Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II,’’ Myrtle Beach author Larkin Spivey describes the situation: “The German units manning the coastal defenses of Normandy were well prepared ... and offered bitter resistance. … The high ground was taken by the end of D-Day thanks to the initiative and courage of small-unit leaders and individual soldiers.’’

It’s often been said of “The Greatest Generation’’ that the soldiers of WWII were not at all talkative about their war experiences in France, Germany or perhaps on a warship in the Pacific or on an island such as Guadalcanal.

No doubt, many who served in various branches of the military did not want to recall the war and declined to talk when asked.

In The Sun News interview, Gardner offers a different take. He didn’t tell his children about WWII because they didn’t ask. “My kids have never asked me about the war. My grandkids have asked me about it. … They had assignments in school, so I was picked as their hero to write about.’’

Thursday’s presentation of the Legion of Honor is an appropriate way of thanking men such as Gardner for their courageous service in WWII. The formal recognition after so many years is a vivid reminder of a period of history that profoundly affected most of the world.

It’s also a gentle reminder for all generations to, by all means, ask their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to share the experiences of their lives.

On Thursday afternoon at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Gardner will receive the National Order of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest decoration. He is one of 10 World War II veterans in the Southeastern United States receiving the honor from Pierre Vimont, France’s ambassador to the United States, nearly 66 years after Normandy.

The long years between then and now hardly diminish Gardner’s feelings about the honor: “I was excited; I was elated’’ to know he will receive the high honor after all those years.

Gardner landed on Utah Beach, one of the two United States assignments, the other being Omaha. Three other beaches, Gold, Juno and Sword, were British and Canadian assignments. This was Operation Overlord, under the command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower who later served two terms as president (1953-61). Overall, 175,000 Allied troops and 50,000 vehicles were on the beaches and the invasion of Europe was under way.

Gardner recalled his experience on Normandy in a Monday Q & A of The Sun News: “It was, of course, frightening when you’ve got people in concrete placements firing down at you as you came in, and you had to cross 100 yards of open beach. ... Once we became consolidated on the beach, we were able to move together as a unit and wipe out the Germans who were facing us. We had to move inland and link up with the paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne, who dropped in from the other side.”

In his book of “Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II,’’ Myrtle Beach author Larkin Spivey describes the situation: “The German units manning the coastal defenses of Normandy were well prepared ... and offered bitter resistance. … The high ground was taken by the end of D-Day thanks to the initiative and courage of small-unit leaders and individual soldiers.’’

It’s often been said of “The Greatest Generation’’ that the soldiers of WWII were not at all talkative about their war experiences in France, Germany or perhaps on a warship in the Pacific or on an island such as Guadalcanal.

No doubt, many who served in various branches of the military did not want to recall the war and declined to talk when asked.

In The Sun News interview, Gardner offers a different take. He didn’t tell his children about WWII because they didn’t ask. “My kids have never asked me about the war. My grandkids have asked me about it. … They had assignments in school, so I was picked as their hero to write about.’’

Thursday’s presentation of the Legion of Honor is an appropriate way of thanking men such as Gardner for their courageous service in WWII. The formal recognition after so many years is a vivid reminder of a period of history that profoundly affected most of the world.

It’s also a gentle reminder for all generations to, by all means, ask their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to share the experiences of their lives.