Young basketball team send D-Day 92 yr old UDT sailor to UDT-SEAL Museum

[Laxmom723]

They paid his way, he'll be given a heroes welcome and will be there 4 or 5 days.

Bravo to the young students who are paying for a heroes "Last Wish" via The Charity Stripe Inc

I'll see if I can find some pictures.

FORT PIERCE — A 92-year-old graduate of the Underwater Demolition Team School at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Training Station at Fort Pierce and five-time wounded veteran of the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach will get his last wish Tuesday — a visit to the National Navy UDT/SEAL Museum.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/apr/01/vet-92-a-navy-frogman-at-d-day-gets-last-wish-02/

 

[Laxmom723]

A picture :) A video... and you'll need a kleenex...

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/apr/05/wwii-frogman-gets-grand-honor-during-visit-to-in/

He was sent to England, where he would take part in the D-Day invasion as part of a 192-man unit "Force O."
His uniform consisted of cut-off dungarees, swimming flippers, a face mask and a helmet when he was let off a small boat off the coast of Normandy. The team's mission was to cut six 50-yard-wide lanes from a mile offshore through the maze of German underwater defenses and beach obstacles at Omaha Beach to allow the Army to come ashore.
In the first attack, 95 of the 192 men were killed and most of the explosives were lost in the water. The men did not stop, according to the Distinguished Unit Citation they received after the invasion, and continued to scrounge explosives and destroy obstacles, even as the Navy and Air Force began the bombardment.
"The Army came ashore with each man carrying a weapon, food, water and other supplies," said Nelson. "We had nothing. I think they must have assumed we would not survive."
Nelson was wounded on the leg the first day, but kept working. He was wounded on each of the next four days while he operated out of a shell hole. His last wound was to the neck.
"They gave me morphine and I thought I was OK. I got up, walked out of the tent and collapsed," he said. "The next thing I know, I wake up in a hospital in England."
The whole experience gave him a different view of life.
"We didn't want medals, just to live," he said.

And live he did... :)

 

[LibraryLady]

Awesome

Mega kudos to these fine young basketball players of Westminster Christian School in Elgin, Ill. They care about their elders and that says much about their honor and integrity.

note: I repeated the school's name so the 'bots will pick up this thread if these kids ever search about themselves.

LL

 

[LimaOscarSierraTango]

That is very cool.

 

[Ex3]

I love reading stuff like this. Very cool.

 

[RackMaster]

Awesome!!

 

[Laxmom723]

note: I repeated the school's name so the 'bots will pick up this thread if these kids ever search about themselves.

LL

Great call. Thanks LL