Ramps Acted As Shields Before Being Dropped
D-Day veteran Frank DeVita recalls how difficult it was to be in charge of lowering the ramp as his landing craft approached Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy in 1944. DeVita, who was only 19 at the time, recalled the machine guns hitting the front of the boat as “like a typewriter,” which he described as “like a typewriter.” When Frank DeVita was ordered to lower the ramp, he took a breath. “I had it in my head that when I dropped that damn ramp, the bullets that were hitting the ramp would make their way into the boat. As a result, I went completely still.” However, the coxswain yelled at him again, this time ordering him to lower the ramp, and DeVita complied. “I dropped the ramp, and the first seven, eight, nine, ten guys went down like you were cutting down Wheat,” he says, with regret. “They were only children.”
Ramps Acted As Shields Before Being Dropped
Heroic Black Medic Saved Hundreds Of Lives
Upon arriving at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, Waverly B. Woodson, Jr. was bloodied and injured by a heavy machine gun fired by the Allies. His landing craft was just destroyed by a German shell, which also killed the man next to him. He had a genuine belief that he was about to die as well. Woodson, on the other hand, decided to establish a medical aid station. He served as a medic with the unit, which was the only African-American combat unit. It took him 30 hours to clean up the blood and bullets from the wounds, reset broken bones, and even amputate one of his feet at one point. In addition, Woodson saved the lives of four men who were about to drown. Woodson was commended, but he never received a medal for his efforts. He passed away in 2005, but his family is urging the army to recognize him as a hero by awarding him a medal of honor for his actions.
Heroic Black Medic Saved Hundreds Of Lives
