A medic's memories of Omaha Beach,June 6,1944

Walter Dickens, 89, of Monroe North Carolina was inducted into the Army in 1941. He served as a medic, a first sergeant with the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Division that was in the first assault wave to hit the beaches at Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The division itself landed on Omaha Beach on the same day in the face of intense enemy fire suffering horrific casualties, but soon secured the bluff tops and went on to occupy Isigny on 9 June. The division cut across the Elle River and advanced slowly toward St. Lo, fighting bitterly in the Normandy bocage (hedge rows).
A member of what is now called "America's Greatest Generation",Walter probably doesn't think of himself as a hero,but to the many men whos lives he saved on that bloody beach and on through the end of that war he is a hero.
He is a hero in my eyes and it was a honor to have met him

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• World
• War
• Two
• D-Day
• Omaha
• Beach
• America's
• Greatest
• Generation
• 29th
• Infantry
• St
• Lo
• Saving
• Pvt.Ryan

[DeadlyXDangles]

@eliasyoocoolman DUDE SHUT UP!!!!!!!! ALL MEN AND WOMEN ARE EQUEL!!!!!!! RESPECT ALL WHO HAVE SERVED!!!!!!!! GERMANS, AMERICANS, THERE ALL PEAOPLE, THEY ALL HAVE FAMILIES, FRIENDS, LOVED ONES!!!!!! JUST A DIFFERENT UNIFORM!!!!!!! EVERYONE WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IS A HEROE AND SHOULDNT BE SHUNED BECAUSE THEY WERE ON A DIFFERENT SIDE!!!! SO SHUT UP AND RESPECT THEM ALL!!!!!!

[nitrogas85]

I served 5 years in the british army royal infantry guards 2nd battalion 5 rifles, i have done 2 tours in Afghanistan and 1 tour in Iraq and everytime i watch these videos of old vetrans i see myself in years to come having to re-live the nightmares we faced everyday, i have been shot at i have wet my trousers through fear and fear that i have never felt before, but looking at that war on that day that this guy saw was on a massive scale, and i can relate to that god bless him and all troops!!

[flyersphan111]

@bman830 I* I'll* I'm* I*  to* Marines*

and you forgot a period.

[jeffo2448]

Lots of respect for this guy

[bman830]

@jdp20eliz i hope one day ill be like these men im 14 i want too join the marines

[ogrebattle22763]

Medics would literally just ignore the withering gunfire around them & just try to save as many men as possible shots missing them by inches & yet they would just keep going from one guy to the next...

[nielscarp]

I visited Normandy 3 months ago, we should never forget the men who fought and died in Normandy. We in the Netherlands will never forget! Thank you America!

[TecDiver05]

@DeadlyXDangles I commend you for saying that.

[jdp201eliz]

@TecDiver05 kids today are punks and assholes.. these men and they were MEN at 17 and 18 years old gave the ultimate sacrifice.. battle of the buldge ,iwo jima,sipan and the list goes on and on!! men like your grandfather made our counrty!!

[TecDiver05]

@jdp201eliz Cherish them, they are going fast. You are right please remember this guys, they really did something great. They were what made our country united, and sadly these values our vanishing quickly with the way kids grow up these days.

[TecDiver05]

@jdp201eliz He was the best man ever, most mild mannered marine you would ever come across, I love and miss him so much, He was like my dad as my "stepfather" was a lawyer and my grandpa knocked him out when he was treating me and mom and sister like shit. My grandfathers army friend Vito had a brother and he flew combat missions in the pacific. I believe on Peleliu he was shot down and they tortured him and put his head on a pike. My Grandpa was about 17 when he joined up in 1942.