This post
probably is not what you would expect today -- the 75th anniversary
of D-Day -- the invasion of Europe at Normandy by Allied Forces during World
War II. The photograph on the left is of paratroopers Clarence Ware and Charles
Plaudo with hair cut in the "Mohawk" style applying "war paint" to each other's
faces, while the photo on the right shows other members of the airborne "pathfinder"
unit checking their gear. The idea for
the hair and the paint came from James "Jake" McNiece to honor his
Native American heritage.
These photographs
were printed in the Stars and Stripes and helped form the legend of "The Filthy Thirteen," the name
given to the 1st Demolition Section of the Regimental Headquarters Company of
the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, of the United
States Army, which fought in the European campaign in World War II. A demolition
section consisted of thirteen enlisted men, and this particular group acquired
its nickname by refusing to bathe during the week in order to use its water
ration for cooking game poached from the neighboring manor while stationed in England. Incidentally, the
unit was the inspiration for the book and subsequent film, "The Dirty Dozen."
About the activities
of The Filthy Thirteen, another member, Jack Agnew, once said, "We weren't
murderers or anything, we just didn't do everything we were supposed to do in
some ways and did a whole lot more than they wanted us to do in other ways. We
were always in trouble." They would have made good, wartime Marines ....
Yep .... this post
probably is not what you would expect today .... then again, maybe it is exactly
what you did expect -- a flicker of memory and a dose of recognition mingled in the essence of irreverence ....
6 comments:
Fin post Fram!Likte godt den første videoen..For en fin Indianer frysyre!Ja de gjorde en god jobb tror jeg og må ikke glemmes..
Den andre videoen skjønte jeg ikke så.mye av han snakket hurtigt
Håper du får en fin dag borte i store Amerika Fram
Klem Anita
Yes, Anita, thank you .... I think it is a nice post, too. There is quite a bit of data available about The Filthy Thirteen and their "brethren" if you care to learn more about them.
There are times when I try to define the line between self-confidence and arrogance, knowing I have displayed both during my life, arrogance mostly when I was in the Marine Corps. This crew, with its ceremony of Mohawk haircuts and war paint certainly falls on the side of a display of arrogance, but anyone who has jumped from an aircraft must have a degree of courage to do so and anyone who jumps during a combat situation unquestionably is a bold and a brave individual -- and, many of them brash, as well. Each and every one of these "pathfinder types" knew their death was likely, and arrogance is an understandable element of their nature. It is part of being human.
Thank you, Anita, for coming and for writing. By the way, I have no immediate plans for my next post, so it might be a while.
Time flies whether you are having fun or not ....
I expected this post, Fram. You established a few traditions on your blog and you never break them.
The photographs are very powerful!
It was interesting to read what Jack Agnew said. It's life and things are happening when you can't do much and you do much more when you are not expected to do. I like also your remark that they would have made good wartime Marines.
I didn't watch yet videos, do it later. You wrote again a very powerful post about of the invasion of Europe at Normandy!
The first thing which entered my mind when reading about the airborne pathfinders, Kaya, was a short story entitled, "The Masked Marine," written by Robert Leckie. Leckie had been a World War II Marine wounded on Peleliu who became a well-known writer. His "masked Marine" was an anonymous Marine who donned a mask made from a camouflage helmet cover and crept out each night to kill Japanese. I envisioned James "Jake" McNiece as the same sort of individual. McNiece's nickname was McNasty.
The following paragraph came from McNiece's obituary in The New York Times:
"They were a skilled group, trained as the Demolition Section of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division .... but they disobeyed orders, bathed infrequently and often disappeared from their barracks for long, liquid and sometimes violent weekends. McNiece was often reduced to private except when his unit was preparing for a mission. In those times he served as one of its leaders."
Military organizations are very different during wartime than in peacetime, and individuals who fit in well during wartime often do not survive in peacetime.
Thank you, Kaya, for coming and for writing. I hope you will press onward with your painting, and I wish you to always be healthy, wealthy and wise ....
Tusen takk for at du gir besjed om at du blir borte en stund nå..Stenger du ned websiden din da?Jeg går på ferie fra neste uke den 16/6-19 .Jeg kommer til å ta det med ro en stund.Vi snakkes da og takk for fin kommentar på min side.
Klem Anita
Yes, Anita, I will be closing down my blog again in a few days and not reopening it until my next post .... but/but/but, you still have access to it every minute of every day.
Actually, I am not at all certain how to define "for a while" in terms of my blog. It might be closed for a few days or for a few weeks. It almost always depends upon when and if I think of something I am interested in enough to write about ....
A vacation to take it easy .... hmmmm. I hope you are able to relax and to enjoy a life of leisure "for a while," Anita. You do work hard .... maybe, a bit too hard. I recall you mentioning some time ago that Cyprus would not be on your itinerary this year. It was beginning to seem like a tradition for you: "Summer & Cyprus!"
I have been doing a bit of wandering myself. It is always nice to see new places and new faces, from my point of view. A few days ago, I decided I wanted to be away from the city for Memorial Day. I got into my car, pointed it west and drove -- and, believe me, I was a long way from civilization when May 30 arrived.
Once more, I will "borrow" words from David Coverdale: Take care, stay safe, be happy and do not be afraid of anyone ....
Later, Norwegian girl .... hmmmm .... I am beginning to repeat myself ....
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