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for Cornelius Ryan 3 -
Your name Carrol B. Smith

In times of great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or
self-reliance; others do inoredibly stupid things # Do you remember any
examples of either ?
Up on top of the shelf that morning I came upon
one of your men (whose name I dont remember) who had successfully
crossed the beach and gotten to the top of the bluff but there he
lost his nerve He was lying facing down clawing the earth
with his hands and crying "I can't do it" "I can't go on"! I was
carrying a 2 foot map board slung over my shoulder and standing up
and I wasn't getting hit so I'm afraid I kind of lost my temper I said
something unfit for print and added "look I'm standing up carrying a
map board and I'm not getting bit get up and lets go" Something shocked
him out of his crying fear and he did go on with A couple days later he came
to me and thanked me for it and I didn't have the heart to show him the hole in my map board

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? 12000 yds off Omaha Beach or the Navy Transport "Charles Carroll" watching the beautiful but awesome display of fireworks as the parachutists landed
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944?
In an (ex-German) foxhole on the ridge on rear of Utah Beach
just to the right of St. Laurent but met overlooking Omaha Beach shivering from
the cold and the sound of a wounded German about 25 yards in front of
me wondering when the counterattack was coming
Do you know of anybody else who landed within thos2 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?
yes General Charles D.W. Canbane who was then my regimental
commander and is now commanding the 11th Corps in Indianapolis
Lt Col Lawrence E. Meeks who was my battalion commander
and is not at ^US ARMY Reserve Headquarters in Raleigh N.C.
Archibald Sproul who was our battalion adjutant and is
now National Guard Commander of the famous 116th Va N Regiment
in Staunton , Virginia
Mifflin Clowe who commanded I Co on D day and is now
Mayor of Winchester , Virginia He is also a Lt Col in the 116th V
Charles East who commanded L Co also lives in Staunton , Va
Chubby Proffit , Clay Purvis, Clay Dudley all of whom were
damned good sergreants in K Co "the Monticello Guard" and
all of whom live in Charlottesville, Virginia. This was my olf
company too when I came on duty in 1941 as a "buck Sgt."

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