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AlABAMA ALA 7 LL
For Cornelius Ryan. Book about D-Day
THOUSANDS OF MEN, OK LAND AND SEA AND IN THE AIR, PARTICIPATED IN THE INVASION OF NORMANDY BETWEEN MIDNIGHT JUNE 5, 1944 AND MIDNIGHT JUNE 6, 1944, IF YOU WERE ONE OF THEM, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
What is your full name? S D. BREWER
What was your unit and division? NAVY U.S. ARKANSAS
Where did yoU arrive in Normandy, and at what time ? JUNE 6, CHURBURG FRANCE
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? S/1
What was your age on June 6, 1944? 22
Were you married at that time? NO * What is your wife!s name? WILLIARD
Did you have any children at that time? NO
What do you do now? U.S. POST OFFiCE CLERK
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? JUNE 3, 1944
What was the trip like during the crossing of the Channel ? Do you remember, for example, any conversations you had or how you passed the time? MOST OF US DIDN'T BELEVE WE WERE GOING TO BATTLE
What were the rumors on board the boat, ship or plane in which you ma.de the crossing? (Some people remember scuttlebut to the effect that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and olanned to set it afire when the troops came in). OUR RUMOR WERE THAT THE GERMAN KNEW WE WERE GOING TO NORMANDY AND HAD THEIR WHOLE ARMY OVER THERE.
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Your name S. D. BREWER
Did you by any chanoe 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? NO
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? NO
Were you wounded? NO
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 WAS SCARED STIFF
Do you remember seeing- or bearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, cf course, seem amusing at the time? YES THAT FRANCE HAD ONLY 4 HOURS OF NIGHT.
Dc you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? NO
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Your name S. D. BREWER
In times of great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or self-reliance; others do incredibly stupid things. Do you remember any examples of either ? I REMEMBER STARTING TO RUN, BECAUSE THIS WAS MY FIRST.
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? iN THE CHANNEL
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? OFF THE COAST OF CHURBURG, FRANCE
Do you know of anybody else who landed within those 24 hours (midnight June 5 to midnight June 6) as infantry, glider or airborne troops, or who took part in the air and sea operations, whom we should write to? NO
PLEASE LET US HAVE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT WE CAN INCLUDE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THE BOOK. WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE YOUR STORY ON SEPARATE SHEETS IF WE HAVE NOT LEFT SUFFICIENT ROOM. FULL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WILL BE GIVEN IN A CHAPTER CALLED "WHERE THEY ARE NOW; YOUR NAME AND VOCATION OR OCCUPATION WILL BE LISTED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.
Cornelius Ryan
Frances Ward Research, The Reader's Digest
