Whenever we visit the V.A. hospital, where my Viet Nam veteran husband receives medical treatment, I love seeing the very old men there, some in wheelchairs, some more ambulatory...the World War II and Korean War veterans. If you strike up a conversation with them, as my husband often does, you learn about their incredible sacrifices in service to our country. Sometimes one will have been part of a well-known invasion or battle. They always touch my heart! There are so few left. They are special and important, and we should treasure them and honor them!
On December 24, 2012 one such veteran died after a long life and after years of delighting the world with his talents. His name was Charles Durning. He didn't like to speak about his service. It had to have been such a traumatic time in his life, going through unspeakable things. But he served with honor. Here is a bit about his time in the Army in WWII that I found in Wikipedia:
Military service[edit]
Durning participated in the
Normandy Invasion of France on
D-Day, June 6, 1944, and was among the first troops to land at
Omaha Beach. In episode "S03E09" of the television program
Dinner for Five, which also included
Burt Reynolds,
Dom DeLuise and
Charles Nelson Reilly, Reynolds spoke about Durning's service career for him, as Durning did not like to talk about it much. Reynolds revealed that Durning was in a group of gliders who overshot their landing zone and that he had to fight alone all the way back to the beach. Reynolds also stated that his own father was there fighting about 15 yards away and that Durning was probably the most decorated veteran (then) still alive from World War II.
[11] Some sources state that he was with the
1st Infantry Division at the time,
[12] but it is unclear if he served as a rifleman or as a member of one of the division's artillery battalions.
Durning was wounded by a German
“S” Mine on June 15, 1944 at La Mare des Mares,
Normandy. He was transported to the 24th Evacuation Hospital and by June 17 he was in England at the 217th General Hospital. He was severely wounded by shrapnel in the left and right thighs, the right hand, the frontal head region, and the anterior left chest wall. Durning recovered quickly and was determined to be fit for duty on December 6, 1944. He arrived back at the front in time to take part in the
Battle of the Bulge, the German counter-offensive through the
Ardennes Forest of
Belgium and
Luxembourg in December 1944.
[13][14] Subsequently, Durning was at one point captured by the Germans and reportedly narrowly escaped a massacre of prisoners.
[15] (Whether this was the famed
Malmedy massacre is a matter of dispute, since no official record of Durning's name associated with the massacre has been found, and Durning himself did not publicly claim to have been there.)
After being wounded again, this time in the chest, Durning was returned to the United States. He remained in Army hospitals until being discharged with the rank of
Private First Class on January 30, 1946.
Durning was known for participating in various functions to honor American veterans. He was the chairman one year of the U.S. National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans.
[16] He was an honored guest speaker at the
National Memorial Day Concert for many years, televised by
PBS every year on the Sunday evening of Memorial Day weekend.
In April 2008, Durning received the
National Order of the Legion of Honor from the French consul in Los Angeles, awarded to those who served with distinction in France. During the ceremony, Durning spoke about his wartime experiences.
[19]
On May 26, 2013, Durning was paid a special tribute at the National Memorial Day Concert at which Taps was sounded in his honor. The tribute included clips of some of his appearances at previous concerts at which he talked about his war experiences and of him embracing fellow veterans.
 |
| at the 2008 National Memorial Day Concert in Washington |
Durning was also an actor, singer and dancer and millions loved his roles in favorite movies throughout his career. He won a Tony for his role on stage in 1989 in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He was nominated for an Oscar twice. He had amazing range on stage and screen, and many roles have endeared him to his audiences for always. Not long before he died, he appeared as Pappy O'Daniel in the wonderful film O Brother Where Art Thou.
On this day, 69 years after the D-Day Invasion, where so many of our brave men fought and saw others fall, I would like to say "Thank You" to all the World War II veterans who sacrificed so much! I would like to tell them how much I appreciate them, and I would like to honor the memory of those who fell that day, and other days during that long war...and who have since died bearing the memories that were so hard to speak of with them to their graves. To the few who remain, God bless you!
And in closing, please enjoy this little Charles Durning clip and smile as you think on what he and so many other brave men gave to all of us....(to see an additional favorite clip of him, click on my Pinterest button on the sidebar and enjoy his "Little Sidestep" song and dance that is pinned on My Favorite People! Board.)
