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

Chapter 1 Snippet

[ ] Ranger Copeland (even though he likes me to call him JR’) celebrated his 88th birthday on November 30, 2009. He was twenty years old when he joined the Army. His date of enlistment was December 13th, 1941—but the day he signed up was one day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. JR’ was a ‘driven’ kind of person and he was disturbed about what had happened to his country—and what had happened to him. And—he was mad as hell.

JR’ lives today to celebrate his country’s enduring freedom gained unknowingly at the time from his efforts as a soldier who crashed the beaches of Omaha in Normandy, France. Omaha Beach, often referred as Bloody Omaha, is distinguished by its intense fighting and loss of life that day—D-Day, June 6, 1944. At 22 years old, JR’ was soldier in Company B, 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion. He was a Heavy Weapons NCO, a Staff Sergeant and he commanded men.

JR’ was born in Marting, West Virginia, to poor parents who had a long history in the coal mines. He was the last born of four children. It was tough living most of the time but he didn’t think about that, he was a happy child who loved his Mom and Dad, older sisters and brother. JR’ remembers occasions of the Copeland reunions, meeting the many people outside his immediate family; the aunts and uncles, the nieces and nephews, far too many to remember or know personally...

“I remember shaking hands with so many family, I got the itch,” he said, folding his arms as if to hold the memories longer. You could see in his minuscule smile that he felt much at ease, comforted, by what was surely many faces and experiences of his youth running through his mind.

“My fathers name was James Anthony Copeland,” he told me, “My mothers name was Jane Ann Adamson,” he continued. The best calculation to their date of marriage of James Anthony and Jane Ann would be about 1910. JR’s brother was 10 years older than JR’ and he was the oldest child. JR’ was born on November 30, 1921.

From the many documents supplied me from JR’ records, it had been recorded that his father James Anthony was born June 23, 1884. His mother Jane Ann was born on November 10, 1877. There was seven years difference between husband and wife which was not particularly unusual for woman to be older than the man at this time. JR’ went on to say he was the youngest of the four children with the oldest child being Edjar Arvin Copeland, his brother, and two older sisters; Maida Pearl and Ida Mae Copeland.
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