ENPages
Page 6
Sgt. Robert L. Bearden, 21, of the 82nd Airborne says:
After the fight for the town of Ferrsville (sp), our ammo was quite depleted and the engagement over the equipment bundles left us hurting even more. When we proudly re-entered the hedgerows we were defending, the alarming fact was discovered: instead of mortar ammo we should have found on the particular colored parachutes we discovered it was grapefruit juice. We wound up that night throwing the cans over the fences at our snooping friends.
Page 7
May 22, 1958
Dear Mr. Bearden:
Thank you for writing to us concerning Cornelius Ryan's forthcoming book about D-Day. Since Mr. Ryan is now away, and has been away from New York for the major part of the last month, he has asked me to write you expressing our mutual thanks and our mutual hopes that you will continue in your willingness to help us.
As your source of information may not have clearly indicated, this book will not be another strategic history of the invasion operation, but a story of the twenty-four hours of D-Day as men lived them and remembered them. For such a story, we can only go to the men who were there, and if they are willing, invade their memories. Thus Mr. Ryan hopes ultimately to interview many of the people who agree to help us, and so I should be grateful if you would let me know whether or not you would be available for interview at your present address during the period between now and the end of July of this year. I should be grateful also if you would be willing to complete the enclosed record and return it to me at your earliest convenience. We have assembled these questions in the hope that they may serve you as well as us, by helping to recall some long-forgotten incidents and indicate the sort of material which we are seeking. We need the answers to them as a basic file of vital statistics on each of our informants, and also, as a means of preparing for interviews for Mr. Ryan, these sheets will serve as a reminder of salient facts and references which he will wish to pick up later on.
We know that the story of D-Day is the story of many men and many units. Mr. Ryan wants very much to do justice to your outfit, and in order to do so he needs your help and the help of any others to whom you can direct us. We shall look forward very eagerly to your reply. Thank you so very much for any help that you can give us.
Sincerely yours,
Frances Ward Research Department
Mr. Robert L. Bearden Bearden's Personal Service Buiding 59 Headquarters Avenue Fort Hood, Texas