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

Saturday, September 4, 2010

The landing craft and the damn vomit…

Picture3

Here’s a picture of a landing craft (LCV) like the one I was on, June 6, 1944, approaching Omaha Beach. The bottom of the boat was filled with vomit as the soldiers were excited to reach the beach and fight the Germans. They gave us a small manual pump that had a hose about the size of your thumb—it was a joke. The pump didn’t move enough fluid to do any good. After the vomit became deep enough aided by the ocean water coming over the boat’s side, the men decided to use their helmets to scoop the scourge out of the boat.

For the most part everyone was calm, probably because we were Rangers. We had the toughest training the United States Army could provide. No two ways about it our group was tough. We had trained under live fire and some soldiers got killed in training. The U.S. Army Ranger is a select unit of soldier and we trained for every eventuality of wartime situation. Picture7 Below is a patch worn on the uniform of only a Ranger in the United States Army.

I was glad to be a Ranger.

Respectfully, James Robert Copeland, Staff Sergeant, 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, WWII (survivor).

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