had been horrible, but on the night of June 5 and morning of
June 6, the allies caught a break. The seas were still rough,
but the weather cooperated enough to allow the landings to
happen. Standing on that beach, Abby and I thought about
General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., who despite landing in the
wrong place, decided to start the war there. Fortunately for
General Roosevelt and others, the beach was not as heavily
defended as some other spots, which allowed the Americans
to move inland. Their progress also depended on the bravery
and leadership of members of the 101st and 82nd Airborne
Divisions who were by that time spread out all over Northern
France. The airborne forces managed to regroup and move on
their objectives in small groups, enabling the landing forces to
come ashore at Utah.
Utah had a very special meaning for Abby and me because it is
the final resting place for the sailor we had researched, George
Kelly. Mr. Kelly was from the small Western Kentucky town of
Madisonville (just 40 minutes from where Abby lives). Mr.
Kelly was an ordinary boy growing up, who loved his family,
friends and music. Considered by his classmates the best
trumpet player while he was in school, he began working for
his father, a mechanic. In 1942 Mr. Kelly decided to enlist in
the Navy, hoping to put his mechanics skills to use. He trained
Four 2013 Normandy Student Scholars place a wreath at the National
World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.
at Great Lakes Naval Station, Chicago, and eventually ended up
on the only vessel he would serve on, LCI 232. While on board,
Mr. Kelly moved up in rank and responsibility from fireman
to chief motor machinist’s mate. He participated in landings
at North Africa and Sicily and prepared for the Normandy
landings as part of Operation Neptune.
On the morning of June 6, 1944, Mr. Kelly was at his station
in the engineering section of the ship, which was below the
D-day allied assault routes. (Photo courtesy of the Center for Military History, US Army)
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NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015