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

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

My Trusty Thompson Submachine Gun at Omaha Beach.

thompson_45_machine_gun

  The .45 Thompson Submachine Gun was the kind of weapon I used at Omaha Beach, June 6, 1944.

  It was clumsy and weighed too much but it put a lot of lead in the air plenty fast…and that’s a good thing.

  This year the military is thinking about a new machine gun, the #M27. It’s lighter (2-1/2 lbs. lighter), with larger magazines and way more easier to handle. That’s important. The soldiers today have plenty of gear strapped to their body, so any piece of equipment that’s ‘better and lighter,’ is a real advantage. Our soldiers need every advantage.

  M27machinegun It’s always nice to read and hear about the newer gadgets, guns and armament now being used by the military. Makes you wonder if things might have been different, you know, losing those 5000 men at Omaha Beach. Probably not; it was a real gun battle…but we pushed on.

  I still like that Thompson, it saved my butt several times that day.

Respectfully, JR Copeland, S/Sgt., Company B, 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, WWII, Survivor.

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