"And I thought of my home, and my mom, and my dog, and my friends, and then I
wondered how in the world this come me to be here in this situation, a young man,
realizing that probably I didn't have much chance to live because I knew what was ahead
of us there." (Audio Interview, 4:26)
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Jesse A. Beazley |
[Detail] Jesse A. Beazley, Marseilles, France [1944] | World War, 1939-1945
Army
38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
England; France; Luxembourg; Belgium; Holland; Germany; Czechoslovakia; Omaha Beach, France; European Theater
Private First Class
KY
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A combat rifleman with the Second Infantry Division, Jesse Beazley was part of the
invasion force that took Omaha Beach on June 6th, 1944D-Day. His transport boat was
blown up far from shore and he was thrown into the water; he was forced to discard all
his gear except his rifle and gas mask to keep from drowning as he swam in, German
bullets hitting the water only inches away. Somehow he survived that day, and the next,
and on through the next year320 days of which were spent in direct contact with the
enemy through the five major European campaigns, all of the way to the end of the war
in Europe, though combat infantrymen rarely lasted that long. His division was then
selected to be part of the invasion of Japan, but before they could be sent, the atomic
bombs were dropped and the war was ended. He was discharged December 28th, 1945.
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