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d day veteran

My Dad a WWII, D-Day Veteran

June 6, 2014 by info@3QuartersToday.com

My Role Honoring Veterans of WWII

WWII Peace at Last

How did you spend your nineteenth birthday? For my Dad on June 7, 1944 he spent that day sitting on a gunner of a destroyer overlooking the beach of France.

It was D-Day, code name Operation Overlord when Allied forces landed on the beaches of France to liberate France from the Nazi Germans.

My Dad was NOT at Normandy, like I thought. But was in Southern France in the third D-Day which lasted several weeks and was a battle at sea.

I didn’t know this when I was a kid, he never told me about his military service. So now my role in honoring veterans of WWII is telling my Dad’s story.

ORDER History Of The United States Navy Wood Sign

Life on a Navy Destroyer

I know very little about my Dad’s military life, he rarely spoke about it and when he did I was too occupied as a teenager to really listen and remember.

When I was thirteen we went to Fall River Massachusetts to tour the USS Massachusetts and my Dad was more interested in showing us the  USS JOSEPH P KENNEDY JR DD850 destroyer. We climbed aboard the gunners and that was one of the few times I heard him talk about WWII.

The role of destroyers at Normandy is recounted in detail in an online book Destroyers at Normandy published by the Naval Historical Foundation. Most of which I don’t understand and can’t appreciate due to me know knowing the terminology.

Order USS Fiske DD DDR 842 T Shirt Vintage 90s United States Navy Destroyer Ship 50/50 Mens Size Medium

Through official military records, I have since learned my Dad served on the USS Kendrick DD612 and USS Edison.

He was very young and  first  was a “runner” then became a “gunner”. He wasn’t very big, about 5’8″ and about 125 lbs. His nickname was “Tiny Terry the Terrible” he was a scraper from what I could tell.

My Dad said the deck it was loud and confusing. His hands burned from the heat of the gun and at the time they didn’t really know what was happening.

Remember, this was before the days of instant communication, all they could do was their job, do what they were told, and pray for the best.

WWII and Korean War Veteran Ribbons, us army 82nd airborne division

Because my Dad’s WWII duffel bag was lost, stolen, or lifted immediately upon returning to the United States. He lost all of his medals, paperwork and memorabilia from World War II.

Enlistment in US Army Airborne 

He enlisted into the US Army 82nd airborne Division just five years later. I wonder if his WWII experience with the Army Airborne was part of his desire to become a paratrooper.

Although his medals were lost, his still wore ribbons from his previous service in World War II. It is these military ribbons that hang in my shadowbox on the wall.

Why Dad Decided to Join the Military

PFC Leo T. Tyrrell 1952, US Army Airborne

My father was one of five kids and his Mother had just died during childbirth. Their father was in and out of their lives and at this point had abandoned them.  Dad and his brother Vern Tyrrell (“Jub”) tried raising their sisters on their own, but they were teenagers themselves.

Eventually, the kids were divided between family and the poor farm. At the time being 18 years old was the only requirement to enlist in the navy.

According to official military records, my Dad joined the military on his 18th birthday. However, according to oral family history, he was 16 years old when he joined.

I can’t imagine having one of my sons at age 19 in such a battle. Yes, they are both Marines, but we don’t fight wars as we did back then. Thank goodness. I heard on the radio this morning that over 2,500 men lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy on one day, June 6, 1944.

My Dad died in 1995 and today he would be 89 years old. Happy Birthday, Dad. I miss you and wish you were here to watch your grandsons grow up to be fine young men. He would be so proud of them and they would love to hear your stories.

USS Fiske DD-842 Destroyer “World’s Greatest Navy” Embroidered 2-Sided Blue Satin Jacket

World War 2 Books and References

US Navy Ships Camouflage WWII: Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts - Specials series (6099)US Navy Ships Camouflage WWII: Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts – Specials series (6099)Scurvy Dogs, Green Water and Gunsmoke:Fifty Years in US Navy Destroyers, Vol 1, us navy destroyers ww2Scurvy Dogs, Green Water and Gunsmoke:Fifty Years in US Navy Destroyers, Vol 1US Navy Destroyers WW2, naval destroyer shipsUS Navy Ships
Three Years Aboard A Navy Destroyer, life on a navy destroyerThree Years Aboard A Navy DestroyerDestroyer Captain: Lessons of a First CommandDestroyer Captain: Lessons of a First CommandUnited States Navy Destroyers of World War 2, life on a navy destroyerUnited States Navy Destroyers of World War 2

History of Destroyers in WWII

US Navy Ships Camouflage WWII: Destroyers and …

US Navy Ships Camouflage WWII: Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts – Specials series (6099) book download Al Adcock Download US Navy Ships Camouflage WWII: Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts – Specials series (6099) …

Navy Matters: Warship Design

The 5”/38 was splitting the difference, and for armored mounts on WWII destroyers, needed electrical power for AAW or even rapid surface fire. And there were sailors who swore that the Sumner was much more vulnerable …

TaskForce/Convoy Attacks Pre-1944 Advice Please …

And so were the WWII destroyers. They might have stayed there for 24 hours or even longer. At the end of the war there were destroyers as close escorts and as hunter killer groups. The hunter killer groups were not tied to the …

Navy Matters: Mk45 Assessment

Consider the size of WWII destroyers compared to today’s versions or the size of WWII cargo ships compared to the supertanker size vessels of today. Finally, the 5” gun of WWII was an effective AAW weapon (to the extent that …

Capt. Kirk Takes Command Of Hot New Ship – Really! USS …

We had several WWII Destroyers that took several hits and continued fighting. After the battle they would limp back to port, get repaired, and rejoin the fleet. You could penetrate the hull with a 30 caliber bullet. John Taylor.
 

Filed Under: Military Pride Tagged With: childhood memories, d day veteran, D-Day, family, historical events, history, memories, military, military history, navy, Normandy, veteran, WWII

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