June ceremonies: Norman White and Deep Respect

On a Monday afternoon, families, veterans, flag bearers, authorities and members of Deep Respect gathered at Omaha Beach in memory of Norman Whitman. The American sailor had landed on June 8, 1944. First a helmsman and then assistant to the captain in the US Navy, he had stayed three months on this beach before joining the Pacific.

Mayor Antoine de Bellaigue greeted his daughter Déborah Deleault and granddaughter Mélissa Paciulli, present at the ceremony. He expressed to them the gratitude and affection of the commune, recalling the sacrifices of the fighters, the friendship between the two countries and the commitment to transmit this memory to the following generations.

The audience gathered in front of the ashes of the veteran. According to his last wishes, they were to be dispersed a few days later off the coast of Omaha Beach. His daughter and granddaughter thanked the association and the municipality for organizing the tribute.

The municipality of Vierville-sur-Mer and the Deep Respect association inaugurated on Wednesday a plaque in memory of the radio and radar technicians of the second tactical air force of the Royal Air Force.

The ceremony was held in the presence of British veteran Leslie Dobinson, of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, and the attaché of the British embassy. Young people from the municipality participated in the deposit of sheaves.

These technicians had landed on D-day at Omaha Beach to control and protect by radar the airspace around the American bridgehead. The article recalls that six of them, killed on the spot on the day of the Landing, are resting in the Bayeux cemetery.

The municipality of Vierville-sur-Mer and the Deep Respect association inaugurated on Wednesday a plaque in memory of the radio and radar technicians of the second tactical air force of the Royal Air Force.

The ceremony was held in the presence of British veteran Leslie Dobinson, of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, and the attaché of the British embassy. Young people from the municipality participated in the deposit of sheaves.

These technicians had landed on D-day at Omaha Beach to control and protect by radar the airspace around the American bridgehead. The article recalls that six of them, killed on the spot on the day of the Landing, are resting in the Bayeux cemetery.

One Sunday afternoon, the city council of Vierville-sur-Mer and the Deep Respect association invited residents to meet four American and English veterans at the party hall.

The association maintained friendships with veterans and their families every year, while transmitting the memory of soldiers who died for freedom. Welcomed in front of the museum by the Gateways of Omaha, the veterans then reached the seaside by jeep. A photograph shows Charles Shay exchanging with the members of the Passerelles.

After Mayor Antoine de Bellaigue's welcome speech, conversations with residents continued: signings, testimonies, anecdotes and emotional moments punctuated the afternoon.

One Sunday afternoon, the city council of Vierville-sur-Mer and the Deep Respect association invited residents to meet four American and English veterans at the party hall.

The association maintained friendships with veterans and their families every year, while transmitting the memory of soldiers who died for freedom. Welcomed in front of the museum by the Gateways of Omaha, the veterans then reached the seaside by jeep. A photograph shows Charles Shay exchanging with the members of the Passerelles.

After Mayor Antoine de Bellaigue's welcome speech, conversations with residents continued: signings, testimonies, anecdotes and emotional moments punctuated the afternoon.

The members of Deep Respect and Marie-Christine Costy, president of the Gateways of Omaha, received a Monday evening the veteran Eric L. J. Rackhman to present the commemorations scheduled for June 2 to 9. Founded by Tenno Dogger and Carole Duval, the association intended to preserve and transmit the memory of Operation Overlord fighters, by working throughout the year with their families.

Born in London on May 22, 1925, Eric Rackhman voluntarily joined the British army at the age of eighteen. Present off Arromanches on June 6, 1944, he had landed on the 7th and remained about five weeks as a DUKW driver, to transport the equipment until the completion of the artificial port.

For the 68th anniversary, five British veterans were announced: Cyril G. Banks, of the 18th MSF, HMS Ready, Royal Navy; Eric J. L. Rackhman, of the DUKW Force, Royal Army Service Corps; Leslie Dobinson, of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, Royal Air Force; Edwin Jeffrey, radio-telegraphist of the Royal Navy; and Albert Figg, attached in the newspaper to the 43rd Welsh Division.

Four Americans were also expected: Charles N. Shay, of the 1st Infantry Division, 16th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion; Jack Port, of the 4th Infantry Division, 12th Infantry Regiment, company E; Bernard Dargols, of the 2nd Infantry Division; and Donald J. Robertson, of the 29th Infantry Division, 175th Infantry Regiment, company M.

The program began on Saturday, June 2 with the arrival and reception of veterans. On Sunday 3 at 2:30 p.m., the Gateways of Omaha and the Mayor of Vierville were to receive them before a jeep ride. At 3 p.m., a public meeting at the party hall combined 1940s music, films, photographs, book signings and small catering. A visit to the Vierville Museum was scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

On Monday 4 at 2:30 p.m., a recollection in front of the ashes of a US Navy veteran, in the presence of his daughter, was announced at the U.S. National Guard monument. At 5:30 p.m., a ceremony was to inaugurate a new Rangers monument in Grandcamp-Maisy. On June 3 and 4, the Gateways of Omaha also offered a passage from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at a rate of €3 per vehicle and €1 per pedestrian.

On Wednesday, June 6, the British were to participate in the Bayeux and Ranville ceremonies, the Americans in those of the Colleville-sur-Mer and Utah Beach cemetery. In Vierville, a ceremony was announced at 6 p.m. at the Monument of the 29th Division, with Donald J. Robertson, presented as landed on June 6. At 6:30 p.m., a plaque dedicated to RAF technicians was to be inaugurated in front of the monument of the American National Guard, before a wine of honor offered by the municipality at 7:15 p.m. at the party hall.

On Thursday 7 at 4 p.m. a guided tour with veterans, museums and a barbecue at the Bénédictines farm in Grandcamp-Maisy were planned. On Friday 8 at 4 p.m., the lime kilns of Aignerville were to host the inauguration of a plaque in memory of the civilians sheltered during the bombings of June 6 to 9, 1944 and the soldiers of the 2nd American Infantry Division.

The coordinates published for Deep Respect were 02 31 51 93 12 and 02 31 10 03 53; the announced annual membership cost €20. This program and information are those of the article dated Tuesday, May 29, 2012.

One Wednesday, a ceremony in front of the monument of the 29th American Division in Vierville-sur-Mer paid tribute to Donald J. Robertson This veteran of genius had landed in Omaha Beach with the first mission of destroying the anti-tank wall that blocked access to the village.

Wounded on the beach, he had been evacuated to England for treatment, before being assigned to the 29th American Infantry Division until the end of the war.

Created in 2004 by Michel Brissard and taken over in 2010 by Marie-Christine Costy, the association Les Passerelles d'Omaha participated in the ceremonies by offering veterans a jeep ride on the footbridges and then on the beach of Omaha. She then invited them to her annual meal.