Center. My name is jared frederick. Im also a reenactor with the furious fourth world war ii living history group. And we are here at Army Heritage days at the u. S. Army heritage and Education Center in carlyle, pennsylvania. And at this event it is a major complex. Were here on the Army Heritage trail. And one can kind reenactors or living historians from all different time periods ranging from the 17th century up to the present. My group, though, is here this weekend to discuss the 75th anniversary of the normandy invasion, which is taking place this summer, and we thought it certainly fitting to commemorate that event. And us putting on these old uniforms, wearing old equipment, it certainly gives us a better perspective and appreciation for what the greatest generation went through. And if we can impart even a small inkling of that to passersby and families who come visit this place, then we feel weve done a fairly good job. The unit we portray is the fourth Infantry Division. And its a unit thats sometimes overshadowed in the realm of world war ii history. But nonetheless it was one of the spearhead units involved in the normandy invasion. It was some of the first amphibious troops who were ashore and they waded ashore on utah beach. Unbeknownst to many of them at that time they had landed on the wrong sector. They had landed about half a mile off course, and there was a bit of uncertainty, perhaps hesitation as to what exactly they should do. But the assistant Division Commander, Theodore Roosevelt, jr. , son of the president who was the oldest american participant in ininvasion said very defiantly were going to start the war right here, and indeed that is what they did. They carried the fight inland into the normandy countryside where they really began to tally up casualties. They fought all throughout mainland europe, and they were the First American troops into germany. But unfortunately it inflicted a very grim toll, the unit in its entiry throughout the war suffered about 250 casualties. There are replacements and sometimes replacements after that were being killed and wounded as well. So it was an absolutely devastating affair, but many of the men in the unit had the Firm Conviction that they needed to do this because there was really no other choice. This was the price of stopping fascism and its spread. And as many world war ii veterans say to this very day, its something that had to be done. And 75 years later, thats something they still firmly believe in. Of course Theodore Roosevelt, jr. Had a long military lineage in his family. His father, of course, stormed up San Juan Hill in 1898 during the spanishamerican war. And Theodore Roosevelt expected all of his sons to serve in world war i. And Theodore Roosevelt said i would look upon them with shame if they didnt serve in the same way i would look upon my daughters with shame if they didnt have children. So those are the two expectations of Theodore Roosevelts kids. And junior lived up to that expectation. He served in world war i. He was the political rival with roosevelt during the great depression. When world war ii started the two cousins put their differences aside. Initially he served as a commander in the First Infantry Division, and he served in the big red one, which was one of the few Battle Tested divisions to go into normandy. However, roosevelt didnt gain a lot of acclaim or trust in the eyes of omar bradley or george paton. Theodore roosevelt had a very laidback command persona, and that wasnt up to snuff with somebody who was spitting polish as george paton was, and omar bradley thought he got a little bit too comfortable and perhaps a little too cozy and laidback with some of the soldiers, and there wasnt that sort of rigid discipline that makes a good soldier a good soldier. So he was removed from command in the First Infantry Division and he landed a spot as the First AssistantDivision Commander in the months and year prior to the normandy invasion. And roosevelt pleaded with his commander general raymond tubby barton. That was his nickname. And he was just unceasing, and, you know, he wanted to go ashore with his men. And barton finally acquiesced, and barton realized at that moment this is probably going to be the end of this general. His health was failing. He was suffering from ches pain and he wasnt telling anybody about it. He had very bad arthritis. His mobility in some cases was very limited, but nonetheless he went ashore with the Fourth Division in one of the secondary waves on june 6th. He had a cane in one hand, he had a revolver, a pistol in the other. And he stayed with his men through, you know, thick and thin. He rode around his jeep which was called roughrider, which of course was named after his fathers unit. Unfortunately, though, his poor health did catch up with him. A few weeks after the invasion he searched a fatal heart attack. And he also becomes one of the highest ranking americans to be killed in france as the invasion was ongoing as well. And he rests in the normandy American Cemetery to this very day right next to the remains of his brother, quintan, who was killed in the first world war. So right now we would like to walk us walk you through our camp here a little bit and perhaps offer a little bit of perspective on the g. I. Experience. And well start here around the back. Now, often when americans think of the Second World War they think of helmets, they think of weapons, think of sherman tanks, but war is this stuff, too. It is the subtle small stuff, the every day stuff that soldiers used on an every day basis. And they certainly werent eating five star meals as they were out in france in 1944, and these units of food that would come for breakfast, dinner and supper were really the staple of the g. I. Diet, and often there would be a small can of food inside, some crackers, some bubblegum and in some other instances they would even someclude some cigarettes, which was part of the ration. If they were lucky, they might be able to acquire the radio along the way. But, you know, when folks look at this sort of stuff it offers them a moment of empathy. You know, when you look at Something Like tooth powder or soap or a razer blade, these were the things wed see on our fathers and grandfather, you know, bathroom shelves as we were growing up. Its often the every day stuff that fascinates me and sometimes fascinates visitors as well. So well talk a little bit more about magazines, about the press, about newspapers at the time as well at one of our later stops. So well head over here to our recreation of a rather small g. I. Encampment, and as you can see our members here are having lunch, chowing down in a very authentic way, also very authentic to snap as well, a very common staple of the g. I. Experience, too. And on average an american soldier was about 22 years of age, weighed about 150 pounds. He had gone through the great depression. He was used to sacrifice and perhaps being short on supplies. And unfortunately that Economic Hardship prepared a lot of American Youth for the forthcoming struggles in this global war. Among some of the most iconic features of the american uniform is the helmet itself. And for all intents and purposes, this was the home of the american g. I. , and it was a multipurpose tool. It would be used not only for protection against raining fragments, shells, splinters, rocks, what have you, he could also use it for a lot more things. And this is an original helmet, and i dont know who used it. But i carry it on in his memory nonetheless. What manufactures would do with the steel pots, in order to diminish the shine and enhance the camouflage of it, they would actually mix sand within the green paint, and that rough texture that you see on the helmet would diminish the shine and offer some additional camouflage. Now, there are a lot of other things that a soldier could do with this as well. He could use it as a digging tool. If he wanted to, he could take out the inside liner, and he could use it as a pot because after all it was a steel pot. If you were lucky enough to find an egg you might be able to cook it inside of that. And also you could use it as a washbasin, hold it right underneath you, be able to shave your face, use it as a chair, use it as a pillow. One of the really notable phrases of the Second World War is a helmet for my pillow. And then finally it could be used as storage in a way. Something that was really popular among the troops were small compact books called Armed Service editions. And american publishers gave these out by the tens of millions during the war. And american soldiers love of reading and literacy that they would later use after the war to use the g. I. Bill and attain i think was really instilled during that time. So they can shove those books in here. But what they did most is they would put photographs inside, and this is actually a photo of my grandmother, gurtrude, and what she looked like during the world war ii years, and like Many American women she married a world war ii veteran and i carry this photo not only in honor of her but in honor of the man she married at the end of the war. And its my way of paying small tribute to some of my family history. And if i could have one, please, and ill show them that. This was the primary weapon of an american soldier that was fighting in europe. This could be slid back like this. You could put a 8round block there within the rifle. And, you know, general paton said essentially this was the weapon that could help win the Second World War. And quite hefty all things considered, but it really made a major contribution to the american war effort. And indeed it was used on through the korean war and even in some circumstances the vietnam war. And there was some militaries to this very day that have surplus of these and still use them, and theyre active military. Thank you very much. As we, you know, just kind of browse the camp here and look at all of the equipment, it really gives us a sense of the things that these soldiers carried. When some of the first initial waves of the normandy invasion took place, a lot of these american combatants had 70, 80, sometimes even 90 pounds of gear on them. And the code name for the operation that they would participate in was known as operation overlord. In my view, though, it could have been well named operation overload because these guys were packed down like mules. When i talk about this in the classroom or sometimes when a young family comes in we might dress up a young person in a dday kit to give them a sense of the weight of war so to speak. And its something i do in the classroom, too. And it really, you know, weighs down on them, both physically and psychologically. You know, to think they were wearing 80 pounds of gear, theyre being heave off the Landing Craft into 7 feet of water while people were shooting at them. They then need to waddle up several hundreds yards of beach that has land mines and obstacles all throughout it. And when you take that into consideration, it really gives you a humbling perspective on what the dday experience was. Not only for americans but also for the british, french and the canadian troops that stormed ashore that day as well. So were well to consider this weight of war and the things they carried, you know, as we think about this 75 years later. The american tents that u. S. G. Ichts used was often called the shoulder half tept. And in many ways it symbolized teamwork and the essence of camaraderie because there would be one half of a tent and each soldier would have one half of a tent. And in order to have a full tent you needed to team up with a battle buddy, so he could bring his other half and you could share one. And there were a lot of different variations on this and how they used it, and the tepts often go on long as creativity would allow american soldiers. And sometimes they would get 6 or 8 of them together to make really big tents, because then you could pile 8 guys into it. And if youre in the fall and winter all of those additional people inside a tent will offer additional body heat and might keep you a little bit warmer. Unfortunately, for a lot of guys they moved so frequently and so quickly that a lot of times they didnt even have the opportunity to setup a tent or enca encampm perhaps like we have today. And the movement into europe was monotonous and brought the most enduring hardships you can imagine. We like to share with visitors and students theres a lieutenant in the fourth Infantry Division by the name of george wilson, and he wore the same pair of socks for five months. And he never once had an opportunity to take off his shoes and wash his feet. And come spring of 1945 when he finally had an opportunity to bathe he went to take off his sock and it peeled the skin off his feet. So when we think of world war ii we think of combat, think of tanks. But really its small Human Interest stories like that that illustrate the Human Experience than anything else. Theyre short on supplies, go into wintertime combat without the proper clothing or equipment, and it was certainly no vacation. The story of artifacts, of course, is nothing without the story of people. And when visitors come into our various displays we like them to reflect upon that Human Element as well. And here on this board we have a few tangible reminders of all of that. Perhaps most notably are copies of a dday diary that was kept by a lieutenant in the fourth Infantry Division, this gentleman pictured over here on the right, and his name was sydney munst. And he and his men operated an 81 millimeter mortar in which well be showing you in a moment where they landed on utah beach. And some of the words he has to offer about his experiences are quite profound. He talks about his men and his comrades falling to his left and his right, and hes scavenging the beach, looking for loose pieces of ammunition and equipment that he knows will be needed later along the way. That personal element, it really helps bring history to life and thats one of the fundamental reasons of why we are out here. We see ourselves as an important conduit of sorts in transferring on this knowledge to other people. Another notable individual we see on here is another lieutenant who is named bill chapman. He operated, he and his men and an 81 millimeter border. He offers all sorts of unique perspectives and books written about him. Later on in the war, the fourth Infantry Division served in a forest. They were lucky enough to survive it, they called it the death factory because it was this perpetual Conveyor Belt of men being sent to the front lines almost needlessly or heedlessly. Mr. Chapman was one of the lucky survivors of the carnage. As a lot of the servicemembers were working their way across european continents, something that gave them added information was things like this. This is a reproduction of stars stripes, which was the official army newspaper, still in publication to this very day. This issue is a copy from june 7, 1944. There were two big events that happened there, one is overshadowed. Just two days before the invasion of normandy took place, the city of rome was also liberated. There was a mad dash for the headlines, who would grab the most attention, grab the most news. Their Commanding Officer was a bit jealous by the level of headlines the normandy invasion grabbed. Indeed there were 150,000 troops involved in the opening phases. Soldiers got somewhat fragmentary reports here in this early addition, talking about the invasion. Periodicals like this underscored the bigger point about why americans believe they were fighting this war. They saw freedom of speech, the freedom of press and the sanctity of journalism and literacy is a fundamental element of why they were fighting this war. They are access to information and books, they truly believed that was part of the democratic notion that represented their country. In some ways those notions are outlined in the speech general eisenhower issued to his troops on the eve of dday. It is a short concise address. This was issued in leaflet form to the troops. He also delivered a radio address, where he outlines this as well. In many ways it could be considered the 1944 equivalent of the address. Eisenhower saying we have a fight to continue. The consequences of not doing so or losing it are too horrific to take into comprehention. Much like slavery needed to be destroyed, fascism and the form of slavery that came with it was something that needed to be defeated. His men took this message to heart. Eisenhower developed a strong the core with american soldiers. He cared about them and they knew it. It was one reason they fought so hard and diligently on his behalf. The harder they fight the war, the sooner the war will be over. Another element i would like to show you is a weapon that we have over here. This is an 81 millimeter mortar. I mentioned this in our talks prior to this. My good friend mike and andy are going to tell us a little bit about that. Hello, here to talk to you about the 81 millimeter mortar. This was designed by the french in the 30s. The u. S. Army got a hold of it. Up until that point, they couldnt really move around the battlefield. Once they got in place they sat there. The mortars could sit there, it wasnt a big deal. The germans had a similar weapon, it fired an eight centimeter mortar. One millimeters smaller than ours. We could fire their rounds out of theirs. Three men would carry this in different pieces. You have the barrel, the bipod and the base down here. Each piece weighs 43 pounds. One guy would carry each piece and one guy carrying all the ammo. The smaller rounds here, these are the m 43 rounds. This round could go 3300 yards and it was used for antipersonnel vehicle. You have increment charges in the end. Thats what produces the blast that propels the mortar round out of the tube. The second this touches anything its going to explode. This bigger round is the m 56. And the m 56 had a delayed fuse. And that is good for shooting buildings, bunkers, any fortified structure that the germans might have been in. It enters through the roof and its a millisecond before it explodes inside the building. They also had a similar round. It was a full White Phosphorus used to obscure vision. Once the White Phosphorus hits the air it burns and burns and burns. They used it to create casualties. We have a life belt inflated. When the troops landed on dday some of us would put these on their packages of ammo so if they dropped the, amo in the channel it would float and they could retrieve it easily. A gun like this would be used in all kinds of operations, battalion commanders and infantry regiments. They call this hip pocket artillery. They would consult many groups together for a density of fire. This Weapon System was carried by an eight man squad. You had a gunner, two assistant gunners and a squad leader. 18 rounds a minute was the maximum they could afford before it overheated. We hope that offers insider perspective on the daily trials and tragedies and triumphs that American World war ii soldiers went through. A number of world war ii veterans have actually come into our camp. They are the reason we are out here. We are here to hear their stories firsthand, and impart them to other generations. We certainly encourage viewers to do much of the same thing. We thank you for and visiting for visiting our encampment today. What regimen were you in . 26. Thats my reenactment group. He saw the raising of the flag on iwo jima. I was a work a firstclass soldier. Our ship was damaged the night before by a kamikaze attack. The last Aircraft Carrier in the war were sunk alongside our ship. Watching those marines with those flamethrowers mopping up those tunnels the navy in the marines never got along well during the war, it was always a plate. We learned to love the marines that day. I was 19 at the time. And for the first time it hit me why these why we kids were willing to die for that magnificent flag. And we did two thirds of this, never left the island. Thank you gentlemen. Thank you for coming to visit us today. Army heritage days is an annual event held in may at the u. S. Army heritage and Education Center in carlisle, pennsylvania. Hundreds of living history hobbyists are selected by the centers to conduct demonstrations andt