Veterans' Day - Thank You
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Photo Courtesy of (and with great thanks to) Carl Beams who indicates, "I found this metal plaque on the beach in Spring Lake today...Veteran's Day. It's obviously a victim of Hurricane Sandy, I think it came out of the back of one of the benches that used to line the boardwalk. Now, the benches are gone and so is the boardwalk. I'd like to return it to Mr. Camisa's family, so if anyone knows who he is, please email me."
To all our men and women currently in uniform, and to those who have served: the entire Firm offers you our most sincere thanks.
Given the picture at inset, the recent storm and the day, we offer the following from "Liberation Of Paris A Joyous Respite From War" authored by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Tom Infield on August 25, 1994.
***
"'It felt like the war was over.'
"That's how Richard W. Baker of Wildwood, N.J., remembers the joyous scene in Paris 50 years ago today as Allied troops - French and American - crossed the River Seine to drive out the Germans.
"The American Fourth Infantry Division, in which Baker was a private, came inching across the bridge, rifles and reflexes at the ready, looking up at windows, scanning rooftops for snipers - prepared to duck into doorways and start shooting."
***
"The American troops spent one more night in Paris, during which a few German planes bombed the city - a reminder, Baker thought, that the war really wasn't over.
"'Then we were right back in combat.'
"While the Fourth Division was in battle, somebody had to march with French units in the big parade around the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs Elysees planned for Aug. 29.
"Lucky guys, those men of the 28th Infantry Division.
"Though they had nothing to do with liberating Paris, they got to enjoy the rewards.
"'Some said we didn't deserve it,' said Harold J. Camisa, who was a staff sergeant in the outfit. 'Maybe we didn't.'
"The soldiers of the 28th wore a dark-red keystone patch on their left arms, signaling the division's history as the Pennsylvania National Guard. But by 1944, they were a blend of men from all over the country. Camisa, then as now, was from Bloomfield, N.J."
***
"The 28th Division was a relative newcomer to the war. It had landed well after D-Day and hadn't been introduced to combat until July 31. Since then it had been "mopping up," as the Army called it - eliminating pockets of Germans still fighting west of Paris after the bulk of their forces had retreated east.
"Late on the evening of Aug. 28, the entire division of 15,000 men was put on canvas-covered trucks and driven all night in a downpour. The morning of parade day, they found themselves in the Bois de Boulogne, a park on the western edge of Paris.
"'They told us to shine our shoes and make sure everybody shaves,' Camisa said. 'I'm looking out through the trees, and over there I see all these tall buildings. I say, 'Hey, what the hell's going on here? Where are we at?' And a guy yells, 'Hey, Camie, we're in Paris.' That's the first time I knew.'"
Link to full article follows...
Given the picture at inset, the recent storm and the day, we offer the following from "Liberation Of Paris A Joyous Respite From War" authored by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Tom Infield on August 25, 1994.
***
"'It felt like the war was over.'
"That's how Richard W. Baker of Wildwood, N.J., remembers the joyous scene in Paris 50 years ago today as Allied troops - French and American - crossed the River Seine to drive out the Germans.
"The American Fourth Infantry Division, in which Baker was a private, came inching across the bridge, rifles and reflexes at the ready, looking up at windows, scanning rooftops for snipers - prepared to duck into doorways and start shooting."
***
"The American troops spent one more night in Paris, during which a few German planes bombed the city - a reminder, Baker thought, that the war really wasn't over.
"'Then we were right back in combat.'
"While the Fourth Division was in battle, somebody had to march with French units in the big parade around the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs Elysees planned for Aug. 29.
"Lucky guys, those men of the 28th Infantry Division.
"Though they had nothing to do with liberating Paris, they got to enjoy the rewards.
"'Some said we didn't deserve it,' said Harold J. Camisa, who was a staff sergeant in the outfit. 'Maybe we didn't.'
"The soldiers of the 28th wore a dark-red keystone patch on their left arms, signaling the division's history as the Pennsylvania National Guard. But by 1944, they were a blend of men from all over the country. Camisa, then as now, was from Bloomfield, N.J."
***
"The 28th Division was a relative newcomer to the war. It had landed well after D-Day and hadn't been introduced to combat until July 31. Since then it had been "mopping up," as the Army called it - eliminating pockets of Germans still fighting west of Paris after the bulk of their forces had retreated east.
"Late on the evening of Aug. 28, the entire division of 15,000 men was put on canvas-covered trucks and driven all night in a downpour. The morning of parade day, they found themselves in the Bois de Boulogne, a park on the western edge of Paris.
"'They told us to shine our shoes and make sure everybody shaves,' Camisa said. 'I'm looking out through the trees, and over there I see all these tall buildings. I say, 'Hey, what the hell's going on here? Where are we at?' And a guy yells, 'Hey, Camie, we're in Paris.' That's the first time I knew.'"
Link to full article follows...
