Trending
Next week we will mark the 79th anniversary of one of the greatest undertakings in world history. For thousands of young Americans, June 6, 1944, would be their last day on earth. The cost of freedom was high. Of the more than 73,000 Americans who landed on the French beach that day, 6,603 died. The beach landing was the first step in pushing German forces out of France. By the time Paris was liberated on Aug. 21, Allied forces had landed more than two million men in France. More than 72,000 were killed and 153,000 wounded.
The Normandy American Cemetery is the final resting place for nearly 10,000 Americans who gave their lives to establish a beach head. The cemetery is one of 14 World War II military cemeteries built on foreign soil.
They came from every state in the country to France. Many were young men when they left home. The draft age had been lowered to 18 in 1942 and you were eligible until you turned 37. When a boy turned 18, he was likely to be handed his high school diploma one day and his draft notice the next. By the end of the war, 10 million Americans had been drafted to be part of the efforts in Europe and the Pacific as well as supporting efforts stateside. All told, 16 million Americans served in the War. Most of those drafted knew they were in it for the duration of the war. That must have been a huge motivator to get it done and get home.
Locally, those here were fully engaged in the war effort. Many local businesses converted to wartime production, building parts for the different pieces of equipment it would take to win the war. The Dravo company built 670 landing crafts near Pittsburgh. Before any of these crafts could help out with the war, they had to first travel down the Ohio River past Marietta. A marker near the Ohio Street gazebo now tells their story.
Years ago, I went on a search for an historical front page of The Marietta Times for every day of the year. If I struggled to find a year when something significant happen on a certain date, I would turn to 1944. The headline for June 6 is remarkable. "France Under Heavy Attack INVASION Beachhead Established." Pick any date for that year and something huge was bound to be happening. June 7: GREAT LAND BATTLE LOOMS.
After the greatest generation finished their service, they returned home to help build a new and prosperous America. They came back to Washington County, with some taking jobs in factories that were converting back to peace time, while others took jobs in new factories being built along the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. They also got busy starting families and creating a baby boom that is itself now reaching retirement age.
Those young people who went to France and elsewhere all those years ago are now old, and they are leaving us at an alarming rate. Even those who turned 18 late in the war are now in their mid-nineties.
Of the 16 million Americans who served in the war, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimate that around 167,000 are alive today. That's 1% of the men and women who served. The National WWII Museum estimates that 180 are dying each day.
By 2034 there will be around 1,000 members of the Greatest Generation still alive. Each week on average, another veteran of the war living in Washington County dies.
The greatest generation is leaving a legacy that is in all of us. The can-do, get-it-done attitude is worthy of being emulated by each of us.
Art Smith is online manager of The Times. He can be reached at asmith@mariettatimes.com