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World War II fighter pilot William Overstreet Jr., who gained fame for flying beneath the Eiffel Tower's arches in pursuit of a German aircraft, has died. He was 92.
– An understatement of remarkable proportions. After being asked what was around the Eiffel Tower as he chased an ME 109 beneath the landmark, this is Bill Overstreet’s response. Easy to understand why he may not have been checking out the scenery.
In the spring of 1944, Bill Overstreet of the 357th Fighter Group stayed hot on the tail of a German 109 ME 109G. The German pilot flew over Paris hoping the heavy German anti-aircraft artillery would solve his problem and eliminate Overstreet and his P51C, the “Berlin Express.” Hoping did no good. The German’s engine was hit, and Overstreet persisted through the intense enemy flak. As a last resort, the ME109 pilot aimed his aircraft at the Eiffel Tower and in a breathtaking maneuver, flew beneath it. The unshakeable Overstreet followed, and scored several more hits in the process. The German plane crashed and Bill escaped the heavy flak around Paris by flying low and full throttle over the river.
Today I had the distinct honor to sit down & hang out with Fred Bahlau. Fred was a member of the 506th PIR 101st Abn and jumped into both Normandy & Holland. He jumped into Normandy as a SSG and by the time the war was over, he had been promoted all the way up to 1SG before receiving a battlefield commission and ended the war as a 1LT. He showed me a copy of the letter telling him he was being recommended for a battlefield commission and it spoke to his "tremendous laziness, natural leadership, & gallantry in battle." Those were the finest qualities an officer could have the author of the letter had written. The author went on to mention how he conveniently decided to leave out how while on leave in Paris, Fred and his men destroyed not only an entire bar, but somehow an entire train car as well!
He was awarded 2 Silver Stars & 2 Bronze Stars for actions during the war. One Silver Star were for his actions on D-Day. Following the jump, Fred rallied the couple men he could find before leading them to assault one of their objectives, a large bridge. His second Silver Star was during the Battle of the Bulge. Some of the details may be a little off as I was trying to listen to him tell his stories while reading the piles of award citations and photos he kept pushing my way. Never-the-less, one of his commanders(Battalion or Brigade I believe) had been ambushed and his jeep overturned. While the commander was able to escape, he left behind incredibly important documents in the jeep. Fred volunteered to lead a group of men back in to retrieve the papers. Not only did they recover all of the documents, but they managed to capture 13 Germans while they were at it. At Bastogne, his frostbite became so bad in all the toes on his, if I remember correctly, right foot, that he was forced to amputate them himself using only piano wire. He would go on to help secure the Eagle's Nest with his unit, even taking one of Hermann Goering’s cars for a spin. He also participated in the liberation of at least 3 Concentration camps, but it may have been 4.
Fred is a true-to-life badass & I definitely plan on going to see & listen to him many more times.
William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, one of the World War II veterans whose exploits were dramatized in the TV miniseries "Band of Brothers," has died at the age of 90.
Guarnere's son, William Guarnere Jr., confirmed Sunday that his father died at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Guarnere was rushed to the hospital early Saturday and died of a ruptured aneurysm early Saturday night.
The HBO miniseries was based on a book by Stephen Ambrose and followed the members of Easy Company from training in Georgia in 1942 through the war's end in 1945. Guarnere's combat exploits earned him the nickname Wild Bill and he lost a leg trying to help a wounded solider.
One of the most underestimated soldiers. He was so highly regarded that he was asked to remain on active duty as the garrison commander at Fort Stewart when the 1st Ranger Battalion was activated.
Ranger Class 13-71
Advisor, VN 66-68 69-70
42d Vn Ranger Battalion 1969-1970
Trainer, El Salvador 86-87
Advisor, Saudi Arabian National Guard 91, 93-94
75th RRA Life Member #867
Jim wrote:One of the most underestimated soldiers. He was so highly regarded that he was asked to remain on active duty as the garrison commander at Fort Stewart when the 1st Ranger Battalion was activated.
Jim wrote:One of the most underestimated soldiers. He was so highly regarded that he was asked to remain on active duty as the garrison commander at Fort Stewart when the 1st Ranger Battalion was activated.
I still check on his wife once a week. Had to change out her smoke detector batteries a few weeks ago.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Agnes is good people.thought she was living with Max.
Ranger Class 13-71
Advisor, VN 66-68 69-70
42d Vn Ranger Battalion 1969-1970
Trainer, El Salvador 86-87
Advisor, Saudi Arabian National Guard 91, 93-94
75th RRA Life Member #867
Jim wrote:One of the most underestimated soldiers. He was so highly regarded that he was asked to remain on active duty as the garrison commander at Fort Stewart when the 1st Ranger Battalion was activated.
Ranger Class 13-71
Advisor, VN 66-68 69-70
42d Vn Ranger Battalion 1969-1970
Trainer, El Salvador 86-87
Advisor, Saudi Arabian National Guard 91, 93-94
75th RRA Life Member #867
Last night we received the sad news that Colonel Ola Lee Mize passed on at the tender age of 82. Colonel Mize was treasured in the Special Forces community as well as the rest of the military as a soldier’s soldier. He earned the medal of Honor. He earned the Medal of Honor in Korea as a buck sergeant and Marne Man, legend has it that he tried to refuse the award until the men he served with were honored for their part in the events as well. He was nominated for a second award during the Vietnam War, but it was denied by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara because, the secretary said, he was an officer and already had one award of the medal. His citation reads:
M/Sgt. Mize, a member of Company K, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. Company K was committed to the defense of “Outpost Harry”, a strategically valuable position, when the enemy launched a heavy attack. Learning that a comrade on a friendly listening post had been wounded he moved through the intense barrage, accompanied by a medical aid man, and rescued the wounded soldier. On returning to the main position he established an effective defense system and inflicted heavy casualties against attacks from determined enemy assault forces which had penetrated into trenches within the outpost area. During his fearless actions he was blown down by artillery and grenade blasts 3 times but each time he dauntlessly returned to his position, tenaciously fighting and successfully repelling hostile attacks. When enemy onslaughts ceased he took his few men and moved from bunker to bunker, firing through apertures and throwing grenades at the foe, neutralizing their positions. When an enemy soldier stepped out behind a comrade, prepared to fire, M/Sgt. Mize killed him, saving the life of his fellow soldier. After rejoining the platoon, moving from man to man, distributing ammunition, and shouting words of encouragement he observed a friendly machinegun position overrun. He immediately fought his way to the position, killing 10 of the enemy and dispersing the remainder. Fighting back to the command post, and finding several friendly wounded there, he took a position to protect them. Later, securing a radio, he directed friendly artillery fire upon the attacking enemy’s routes of approach. At dawn he helped regroup for a counterattack which successfully drove the enemy from the outpost. M/Sgt. Mize’s valorous conduct and unflinching courage reflect lasting glory upon himself and uphold the noble traditions of the military service.
But a greater tribute is how Colonel Mize lived in the hearts of fellow soldiers;
“He was a soldier’s leader,” [Rick] Vaughan said. “If you had to pick a leader to go to war with, Lee Mize was the one you would want to pick. You would absolutely want to go with him because you knew he would take care of you, make sure you were prepared and had all the skill and knowledge you need to get there and get back safe.
“We just lost a living piece of history. He just can’t be replaced.”
Many years ago Joe Stringham introduced him to me. What a man!
Ranger Class 13-71
Advisor, VN 66-68 69-70
42d Vn Ranger Battalion 1969-1970
Trainer, El Salvador 86-87
Advisor, Saudi Arabian National Guard 91, 93-94
75th RRA Life Member #867
The prisoner of war had been tortured for 10 months and beaten repeatedly by his North Vietnamese captors in recent days, and there were threats of more if he did not respond properly when the propaganda broadcast began. Haggard but gritty, Cmdr. Jeremiah A. Denton Jr. slumped in a chair before the television cameras.
Pretending to be blinded by the spotlights, he began blinking — seemingly random spasms and tics. He answered interrogators’ questions with a trace of defiance, knowing he would be beaten again and again, but hoping that America would detect his secret message in Morse code.
To a question about American “war atrocities,” the captured pilot said: “I don’t know what is happening in Vietnam because the only news sources I have are North Vietnamese. But whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long as I live.”
The North Vietnamese, who lost face, were even more outraged when they learned that Commander Denton, in the Japanese-taped interview broadcast on American television on May 17, 1966, had blinked out “T-O-R-T-U-R-E.” It was the first confirmation that American prisoners of war were being subjected to atrocities during the Vietnam War.
The commander was beaten all night.
Mr. Denton, who returned home after seven years as a prisoner and became a rear admiral and a United States senator from Alabama, died on Friday at Sentara Hospice House in Virginia Beach, his son, Jeremiah A. Denton 3rd, said. He was 89.
Roy Matsumoto, one of Merrill's Marauders, passed away last week on 21 April at the age of 100. Ranger Matsumoto is a Ranger Hall of Famer and a Distinguished Member of the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Matsumoto was responsible for listening in on Japanese communications. During the siege of Nhpum Ga, he found out the Japanese were planning an attack, according to his citation for the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame. That allowed the Marauders to prepare and repel the first Japanese attack, the citation says. Matsumoto then used his language skills to lure more Japanese troops into the kill zone.
“Sgt. Matsumoto stood up and exposed himself to enemy fire, while shouting ‘Charge’ in Japanese as if he were a Japanese officer,” Karen Matsumoto wrote. “Marauders opened fire, and the battalion was saved from certain annihilation with no casualties on our side.”
“In any military campaign or action, many things, large of small, contribute to success or failure,” Passanisi said. “But Roy Matsumoto’s service with Merrill’s Marauders was the one thing that spelled the difference between success and failure. Every Marauder knows that if it wasn’t for Ranger Roy Matsumoto, fewer, if any, Marauders would have returned from North Burma.”
Ranger Class 13-71
Advisor, VN 66-68 69-70
42d Vn Ranger Battalion 1969-1970
Trainer, El Salvador 86-87
Advisor, Saudi Arabian National Guard 91, 93-94
75th RRA Life Member #867
