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

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

‘Chigger’ and my new Book Cover…

FrontCover1210

  The book was submitted to the publisher this week and should be up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble by the end of the month.

  My biographer changed how the title looked on the front cover…making ‘Bloody Omaha’ on two separate lines and the letters bigger. It looks pretty good ‘even if I do say so myself.’

  This cover picture is from a picture setting on my end table near my lounger. Garry, the biographer, thought it would make a nice, interesting cover. The picture is me when I was about 8 years old, back in 1929. The dog in the picture is my first dog, his name was ‘Chigger.’’ He was a little dog… ‘no bigger than a cat,’ I’d say, probably weighing less than 10 pounds. He was a feisty critter though.

  Come to find out later that this breed of dog originated in Europe. Kind 'a funny when you think about it…Chigger’s breed starting out in Europe and me almost being ‘finished’ in Europe. Almost lost my life on Omaha Beach Red, a real hot patch of acreage along the French coast.

  There’s over 9000 men buried at Normandy, I think about them everyday.

  Not me though, I survived. I survived to tell you my story. It’s a pretty short story but it has a lot of pictures. You’ll probably think it’s exciting…and when I think back on those times, it was damn exciting.

Respectfully, JR’ Copeland, S/Sgt., 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, Survivor

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