D-Day, June 6th 1944
We should remember these young (and many not so young) men who struggled ashore, who died, who strove to fulfill their duty 64 years ago today.
Among those men was one Gano Haynes "Sonny" Jewell. Sonny was my dad's first cousin and they were close. Sonny had been pre-med at Cornell but he felt he wasn't doing his part. He thought he needed to do more and he enlisted in the army. Wonder of wonders, he was made an aideman probably recognizing his pre-med training and perhaps with a bit of work towards that end by Sonny himself. Nobody in our family is known for being a shrinking violet. He came to be assigned to work in the aide-station of the 2d Battalion, 116th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division. The 116th was one of the assault regiments and attached to the 1st Division for the landings. Sonny made the landing. He likely was very busy from June 6th through August 6th when he was wounded near Vire, France by German artillery fire. On August 7th, 1944 PFC Gano Haynes "Sonny" Jewell was killed by a fragment from a German artillery shell. He was 21 years old, an only son and a beloved cousin/nephew. Dad once told me how when his mother and aunt (Sonny's mom) went to get the body, he followed them as they drove a car and he drove a borrowed truck. He remembered how he watched the sidewall of old right rear tire on the car suddenly balloon out and burst and how they had to get the tire replaced before they could continue and get Sonny's body. A small thing to us but Dad's eyes would mist up a bit.
On VE Day (I think this was May 8th, 1945) the government released farm labor from enlistment restrictions and Dad enlisted in the Army. In fact, when he heard the news on the radio he telephoned home and told his mother that he didn't know when he was coming back but that he was going to Oneonta to enlist. Dad allowed that this was at least in part because of Sonny.
In 1985 I was sitting in my office in the home armory of the 116th Infantry and met Winston Morris. Winston had gone into service at age 35 and was 80 years old when we met. Prior to the war he'd been photographer and got command permission to carry and use his camera in theater. As NCOIC of the Regimental aide-station he got to move around quite a bit and take photos of a number of the Regiment's activities. He had a quite collection of photographs from those years and included in them was a photo of Sonny Jewell the day before he died. He was sitting at the edge of his foxhole in the aide station. Winston remembered him fondly. Unfortunately, I didn't get a copy of the photograph.
Sonny Jewell was one of millions, like Winston Morris, who did their duty and I hope that today, you'll take a moment and remember the Sonny Jewell or Winston Morris in your family and somehow thank him or her.
Labels: Family, Military
