D-Day veteran Jim “Pee Wee” Martin retells history

Jim Martin jumped with the 101st Airborne Division into Normandy, fought in Operation Market Garden, and held on to the city of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Ninety-three-year-old Jim “Pee Wee” Martin tells history of being an airborne Soldier during World War Two.

In this compelling story we learn about the intense training soldier endured before the Normandy invasion. On June 6th we celebrated the 71st anniversary of that famous battle. We think it’s worth hearing the story from a man who lived it. There are fewer and fewer WWII veterans alive and we could all learn a lot from their stories.

And we think Martin is a total badass! He is jumping out of a plane at the age of 93! An experience he said “didn’t compare” because there wasn’t anyone shooting at him this last time!

“The Normandy beaches were chosen because they lay within range of air cover, and were less heavily defended than the obvious objective of the Pas de Calais, the shortest distance between Great Britain and the Continent. Airborne drops at both ends of the beachheads were to protect the flanks, as well as open up roadways to the interior. Six divisions were to land on the first day; three U.S., two British and one Canadian. Two more British and one U.S. division were to follow up after the assault division had cleared the way through the beach defenses.” – DOD Facebook post this weekend

This tribute of an 11 year old boy, who stood for hours holding his American flag on Omaha beach on the 70th anniversary of the invasion, makes us proud to be American and proud that youth like this young man are thinking about what kind of effort this took. We salute you!

0 0

 

Save To Pocket

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share On Twitter