We create memorials to mark the memories we want to keep alive.
Most of us practice that habit pretty much all the time
– that’s why we have so many photos, souvenirs, videos,
collections and assorted treasures (a.k.a.
”
stuff
”
).
We create memorials to mark the memories we want to keep alive. Most of us practice that habit pretty much all the time – that’s why we have so many photos, souvenirs, videos, collections and assorted treasures (a.k.a. “stuff”).
But, next Monday, we’ll be doing it together. The Memorial Day holiday was set aside in 1867 so that, as a nation, we would remember. Remember those who served and fought, lost and won, lived or died in our behalf. A day to salute flags, watch veterans march, listen to patriotic speeches and put flowers on graves.
Gilroy will host its annual Memorial Day parade, and I hope it draws its usual healthy crowd. I’m always teary eyed for the whole schmeil … from the WWII seniors waving from motorcades … to the young, camouflaged foot soldiers talking to wide-eyed kids … to the rider-less horse with one boot turned backwards.
Fortunately, I don’t have to wait for the last Monday in May “to remember” because we have a number of military mementos in our home. Items that act as diligent reminders of freedom’s price tag and those willing to pay it.
Some of my favorites are the guns and Calvary sabers saved from the Civil War. Let me assure you – in the event that you’ve never seen a weapon from that era – those poor soldiers fought with some wicked looking tools. The rifle we have is taller than I am and after you attach the bayonet, it’s well over six feet. It must have taken incredible courage to battle with those lanky guns and rough hewn knives at such close range!
Another of my favorite wartime artifacts is the little keepsake booklet my Uncle Dan helped me put together. He let me tape record and later transcribe his memories. Then, we organized, edited and added pictures to go with the text.
It seems appropriate to end this Memorial Day column by letting Uncle Dan tell you what it was like to serve in WWII. (I am secretly hoping his tales will inspire you to listen to or record the stories of any veterans you might know. I can almost guarantee, it’ll be a life changing experience …)
Daniel Glen Shupe, in his own words:
We were in the landing at Normandy. We were D-1, the day after D-Day. I still remember it vividly …
On D-Day, we left England and went across the English Channel. The next day, eleven o’clock at night, we went in. Then you’re scared. The battleships were shooting over us – the Missouri – they were shooting all the big guns over our heads. It was chaos.
We went down the big ship on rope ladders to get into the landing craft. From there, we waded in, half way up to our knees. Our commander had told us, ‘Just dig a hole on the beach and we’ll get organized in the morning.’ Some of us got put on different boats, but everybody went …
When I woke the next morning … they had a wire fenced in area – oh, about as big as a room … Well, they’d captured a couple of Germans on the beach head and they were in there. One guy tried to get out and they shot him. So he was just there, hanging on the wires. That was the first thing I saw when I woke up in the morning – there’s a dead guy laying in the wires…
So, those of us that made it, they started getting us organized. We were supposed to go on up to the top of a hill in Normandy. The next night, we were getting ready to go out on our mission. It was pitch black and the general was there telling us what we’re going to do …
He goes, ‘Now, I’m going to tell you, half of you ain’t coming back.’ You’re just kids, you know? You’re 21 and they’re telling you, ‘Half of you ain’t gonna make it.’ He put it down like it was. He wanted us ready. It was, ‘Say your prayers because this could be it.’
It was difficult. I remember it all the time. But you couldn’t think that you were going to be the one who didn’t make it. You had to think, ‘We’ve got a job, and we’re going to do it.’
And so they did. Did it well. Till it was won.
Bonnie Evans has lived in Gilroy with her husband Mike for 21 years. They have two grown children and a black lab named Pepper. Her volunteer work centers around end-of-life issues. To support her volunteer efforts, she teaches for Gilroy Unified.
