Saturday, April 11, 2015

A Hero to the End

Courage, determination and perseverance in the face of death -- rest in peace, Mr. Harvey... [More]

[Via Mack H]
Posted by David Codrea at 4/11/2015 01:13:00 PM

1 comment:

MackH said...

Unlike some who have been in the news of late, Mr. Harvey really did serve our Nation with honor and distinction:

The French government appoints U.S. veterans to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor if they fought on French territory during World War II.

To qualify for the knighthood, the veteran must have served in one of three main campaigns: Normandy, Provence/Southern France or Northern France.

Mr. Harvey served in two of the campaigns.

He was 19 and newly married when he arrived in England in 1943. He was there as a technician in anti-aircraft artillery battalion but wound up driving a jeep because, he told Scott, the Germans didn’t have many airplanes left.

On June 6, 1944, D-Day, his battalion was responsible for protecting those landing on the beaches of Normandy by shooting down German aircraft.

Mr. Harvey made it to Omaha Beach several days after the invasion. What he found was utter devastation, and he had to roll bodies out of the way in order to sleep, Scott said.

Afterward, he served in campaigns in Northern France and was at the Battle of the Bulge.

Scott said his father suffered several close calls in the fighting. In one incident, all but six men in his unit were killed, and in another an explosive ripped his coat but left him unharmed.

“He always said God was with him,” Scott said.

4/11/2015 1:17 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)