Last week we commemorated the 71sth
anniversary of the landing in Normandy, D-Day.
Bernard “Wad” Nider served as part of the landing force. I found the following letter he wrote to his
brother Mark about the landing:
Dear
Mark, Well I guess you probably have
heard by now where I am. France is quite
a place. Only I came in the hard
way. I was in the first wave to hit the
beach in France and boy it was plenty rough and I am not kidding. Had some rough going for a while. This is what we were doing in England all of
the time. We were working with the Navy
practicing landing. We were on the water
most of the time. We sure got good chow
on board ship. Really would love be in
the Navy.
His letter ends with him thanking Mark
for some photos. And the closing: Better
sign off. Write soon.
After the war Wad didn’t speak of
the Normandy landing very often. The
story he tells relates going ashore in a landing craft. Each craft is blasted by the Germans as the
landing doors open. Wad and a friend
decide to go over the side before the doors open on their craft. They are the only two member of that boat to
make to shore.
I never did get to tell Wad: “Thank
you for your service.”
