The Coshocton County Beacon June 28, 2017 - Page 4

4 THE BEACON www.coshoctonbeacontoday.com
June 28, 2017
|  Letter to the Editor
|  OPINION
O
ur community
Rhine, led to the collapse
stood tall last
of the operation on Sept.
week. When it was
25, 1944. But perhaps the
first announced
single biggest reason was
that the remains of Private
the Allies over confidence -
Eugene “Gene” J. Appleby, a
thinking that the Germans
member of the 508th Para-
were already beaten.
chute Infantry Regiment,
MARK’S MUSINGS According to several
82nd Airborne Division,
sources, the plan was
were returning home to Coshocton
conceived and launched in days and
after he was identified through DNA
when considering the amount of men
following decades of missing in action,
and material necessary for success that
the pride and respect for our military
no doubt played a part in the failure.
was on display well beyond our county
Especially when one considers the
lines.
planning that went into the invasion of
Pvt. Appleby was killed in action
Normandy.
during the early phase of the ill-fated
The 1974 book, “A Bridge Too Far”, by
Operation Market Garden on Sept.
Cornelius Ryan is a good read on the
17th, 1944. This was according to fellow
subject.
paratroopers that saw him get shot.
But regardless of the success or failure
U. S. Army paratroopers dropped into
of the mission, those that identified Pvt.
the fields of Holland on a bright sunny
Appleby and ensured that his remains
Sunday afternoon as part of the largest
were returned home to Coshocton
airborne operation in the war to date.
where he lived as a young boy, was a
Those that follow history, and especially testament to all those that work in that
World War II history, know that the plan field.
was to sweep around the strong Ger-
Seeing the vehicle escort bring Pvt.
man defenses in France and hopefully
Appleby to Coshocton, the people that
end the war by Christmas. The daring
took their time to line Main Street and
plan, conceived by British General
display an American flag, and those
Montgomery, was doomed from the
that turned out for the funeral service
start.
and graveside services brought hon-
The capture of five bridges was the
or to a fallen soldier, a family and our
key to the operation and British, Pol-
community.
ish, Canadian and U. S. paratroopers
The Indian Mud Run was a success
formed the vanguard of forces that were and compliments go out to all those that
involved. Follow on ground forces were
volunteered, helped organize, partic-
to link up with the paratroopers. Un-
ipated and made this event happen. It
fortunately, intelligence missed the fact was another opportunity for our com-
that a significant number of German
munity to shine.
soldiers, including some elite units,
The same goes for those that are part
were resting in and around the area.
of the fireworks display in Coshocton
That, combined with bad weather as the or Fresno. Thanks go to the people in
operation continued, drop zones spread our community giving up their time for
out over miles, poor communications
others. Thank you.
and the British Second Army not being
able to capture a key bridge across the
| 
Marsy’s Law for Ohio
As a former state lawmaker, I worked
every day to pass laws helping keep our
streets safe. Nonetheless, we see news
reports each day about violent crime
striking in communities across Ohio.
Behind every headline are a crime vic-
tim and their family who is too often over-
looked. They deserve to be treated with
dignity and respect by our legal system.
That’s why I support Marsy’s Law for
Ohio, a constitutional amendment ensur-
ing equal rights for crime victims.
All across Ohio, the Marsy’s Law move-
ment is gaining momentum as more than
half a million Ohioans signed petitions
to put the issue on the Novembe