Bloody Omaha: My Remembrances of That Day (Paperback, Fall - 2010) by James Robert Copeland, S/SGT., 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion
I remember receiving sniper fire from above in a similar scene as pictured here -- none of us thought we'd make it. I did make it and here is my story.
It begins from my childhood in West Virginia, where my family and my family's family, worked in the coal mines.
When war broke out (Pearl Harbor), I enlisted in the Army and became Army Ranger -- fighting that fateful day, on the bloodiest beach, June 6th, 1944.


As a home health aid my wife Linda discovered James Robert Copeland. Linda and I were surprised with his energy, his vitality and his story. It didn't take much conversation to convince him of the importance of recording his story for posterity. We had several interviews over the past year and each time JR (as Ranger Copeland likes to be called), reminded me he felt his time was running out. He wanted me to hurry in my writing so he could see the finished book.
JR Copeland will be 89 years old this year. There has never been a time when I didn't find him cordial, informative and quite lucid in his conversation. Hopefully JR will see his story published -- this man is a magnanimous individual, besides being a war hero. I hope my writing does justice to his great story.
--garry m graves, biographer

Monday, May 31, 2010

They didn't call it Bloody Omaha for nothing...

  My name is James Robert Copeland and with the aid of Garry M. Graves serving as my biographer, I hope to tell you my story of how I crashed the beaches of Omaha in Normandy, France, June 6th, 1944. They didn't call it Bloody Omaha for nothing -- the beach and channel waters ran red with blood. My job was to command my men so their blood was not lost on this God forsaken beach. It was a challenging day to say the least -- a day I'll never forget.
  Many who know me prefer to call me 'Ranger Copeland.' They honor me with this 'Ranger' designation and I sure enough was a fighting Army Ranger, but you can call me JR' until you've completed reading my book. Then you can decide if you will know me as 'Ranger Copeland.'
  I want to thank Garry for his patience with my memory and taking the time to record the events of my life. As you can imagine, it's difficult to look back over 80 plus years and remember specific things happening in my life at any given time. I did my best to give you the facts as I remember them. I've known lots of wonderful people in my lifetime -- and left a few good friends on that infamous beach. If you like the book then show it to others who you think might like it too. Release date: Fall - 2010.


Respectfully Yours -- James Robert Copeland
S/SGT., Company B, 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion.

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