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- for Cornelius Ryan 3
Donald Ivan Jakeway
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?
The incredibly thing I remember was, after finually joining
up with an outfit, I volunteered to act as scout on a combat
patrol in which I knew not a man. From the 15 men that
were in this patrol including a Captain, 3 men were the
only survivors, myself as one. The one thing that saved my
life was that the Germans were using the wooden bullets yet,
and from a very close range missed me as I crawled away thru
a patch of horse nettles. [added in pen: post D-day?]
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944?
At Folkingham Air Base, sitting in a C-47 we jumped at 1:20 AM June 6th
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? Lost ...somewhere near Caen.
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?
I have but a very few names of the fellows who are left,
I can only see if they will permit me to send their names.
I spent 37 days on the front lines, nearly 50 to 100
miles behind enemy lines, we fought from the inside out.
I have a complete history of the Normandy Invasion
that I had obtained at the end of the war.
It is called the Odyssey of the 508th, Parachute Infantry.

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