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for Cornelius Ryan 2 -
Your name Dean Dethroe Gill
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No.
Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or
during the day? Yes.
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became
casualties?
Yes Cpl. Gland who was killed said he sure would like to go back
across the channel even tho it made him seasick. Another one of the
boys said "I don’t think ’them there' Krauts like us".
Were you wounded? Yes, on June 25, 1944
Do you remember what it was like--that is, do you remember whether you
felt any pain or were you so surprised that you felt nothing?
I felt like I think I will feel on Judgement Day. That is, afraid,
not afraid; hot, cold; didn't know which way to turn or what to
do first.
Do you remember seeing- or bearing anything that seems funny now, even
though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time?
Yes, we were issued life jackets that would inflate when you press
a button. When it come our turn to unload, I was standing at the
bow of the ship and accidently pressed the button on my life
jacket. It inflated and I thought for sure I was shot.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck
you more than anything else?

Yes, When our half-track got stuck on the beach all the men in the platoon
went back to push it out, even though the Germans were shelling the entire
beach very heavily. One of our Jeeps was hit and one man killed. Do not
know about the other two. Every man in the platoon wanted to go back and
help the men who were hit, even though it was raining machine gun bullets
Our platoon leader, Lt Benley, told us we had to leave
the injured for the Medics' to care for.