Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 015, folder 31: George R. Hackett, Jr.

IN D-Day Book LCT Flotilla Release Sent In

Hackett, George Richard, Jr. U Cal 11

Box 15, #31 Release with PG

0430 UTAH LCT FLOTILLA 17 Commanding Officers boat [crossed out]st[end crossed out] third class signalman

I made friends with one of the group signalmen. His nickname was Whitey. He was on our LCT 777 which was our flagship in the group itself. His boat was blown up on his first trip in. I saw that. He had a girl friend and just before the invasion he received a letter from her and in it she said to keep an eye on 1 this new song on the Hit Parade. It was calle "I'll walk alone'

Dead

[*Vallejo, CALIFORNIA Should be interviewed if we get to Calif. N--1 Sounds good - especially as just 17 at time LL CAL 11*]

For Cornelius Ryan Book about D-Day

THOUSANDS OF MEN, ON 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? GEORGE RICHARD HACKETT JR.

What was your unit and division? COMMANDING OFFICER LCT FLOTILLA SEVENTEEN STAFF

Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? UTAH BEACH TWO HOURS BEFORE H HOUR

What was your rank on June 6, 1944? THIRD CLASS SIGNALMAN

[*!*] What was your age on June 6, 1944? I WAS SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD

[*Sec 11*]

Were you married at that time? NO..........

What is your wife's name?

Did you have any children at that time? NONE..................

What do you do now? I AM A QUARTERMASTER SECOND CLASS ON THE USS SARGO (SS(N) 583 THE FIRST NUCLEAR SUBMARINE TO BE BUILT ON THE WEST COAST

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? I REALLY THOUGHT I WAS IN ON THE INVASION AS SOON AS I BOARDED THE QUEEN ELIZABETH BUT DID NOT ACTUALLY KNOW UNTIL EARLY MORNING THE THIRD OF JUNE WHEN I ASSISTED THE LOADING OFFICER OF OUR UNIT IN LOADING OUR BOATS FOR THE TRIP ACROSS THE CHANNEL.

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? I LEFT WITH OUR FLOTILLA COMMANDER FROM DARTMOUTH,ENGLAND AND OUR GROUP MET WITH OTHERS FROM OTHER PORTS.I CAN REMEMBER THAT THINGS WERE CONFUSED AS YOU CAN IMAGINE.WE HEADED UP THE COAST OF ENGLAND AND THE INVASION WAS TO COME OFF THE FIFTH,BUT WITH HEAVY WEATHER BY THE TIME WE GOT NORTH TO SOUTHHAMPTON:PORTLAND..IT WAS POSTPONED ONE DAY I REMEMBER THAT OUR GROUP OF ABOUT THIRTY LCT'S REMINDED ME OF A BUNCH OF UGLY DUCKLINGS.WE JUST GOT THEM ALL ANCHORED PROPERLY AROUND MIDNIGHT WHEN THE WORD WAS [crossed out]R[end crossed out] RECEIVED THAT WE SHOULD GET UNDERWAY.THIS COMPLETE OPERATION OF COURSE TOOK A VERY LONG TIME.THE TRIP WAS ROUGH AND I CAN REMEMBER THAT THE LCT'S BEING SO HEAVILY LOADED [crossed out]THAT[end crossed out] THE WATER WOULD COME OVER THE BOW AND WAS [crossed out]RIGHT OUT OF THE BACK END[end crossed out]. WASHED RIGHT OUT OF THE BACK END OF THE BOATS.A DESTROYER WAS OUR GUIDE AND PROTECTOR FOR THE TRIP ACROSS,AND I CAN REMEMBER THAT OUR STAFF QUARTERMASTER FOUND THAT THE DESTROYER HAD US IN THE WRONG CHANNEL,AND WE HAD TO GO ALONGSIDE AND GIVE THEM THE RIGHT INFORMATION.WE BEING ON A SUBCHASER OF ABOUT ONE FIFTH THE SIZE [crossed out]OTH[end crossed out] OF THE CAN MADE THIS QUITE A JOKE ??????

[*good destroyer?*] What were the rumors on board the boat, ship or plane in which you made the crossing? (Some people remember scuttlebut to the effect that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in). ACTUALLY OUR JOB AND THE SIZE OF THE BOAT WE HAD AS A FLAG SHIP [crossed out]MADE[end crossed out] KEPT OUR TALKING TO A [crossed out]MINUIM[end crossed out] MINIMUM.I REMEMBER THAT I WAS ON MY FEET MOST OF THE TIME,AND AS A MATTER OF FACT I,CANT REMEMBER HITTING THE SACK UNTIL THE INVASION HAD REACHED ITS FIFTH OR SIXTH HOUR.YOU MUST CONSIDER THAT THE COMMANDER TOOK ONLY TWO MEN WITH HIM ON THIS FLAG SHIP, ONE QUARTERMASTER AND MYSELF. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THERE WAS NO GASOLINE AND THE ONLY FIRES I REMEMBER WERE THE ONES FROM SINKING SHIPS....

- for Cornelius Ryan 2 Your name GEORGE R.HACKETT JR.

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? NO.....

[*good*] Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? I WITH WHAT LITTLE TIME I HAD BEFORE THE INVASION MADE FRIENDS WITH ONE OF THE GROUP SIGNALMAN.I REMEMBER HIS NICKNAME ONLY "WHITEY" HE WAS ON OUR LCT 777 WHICH WAS OUR FLAGSHIP IN THE GROUP ITSELF.HIS BOAT WAS BLOWN UP ON HIS FIRST TRIP IN.I SAW THAT.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? I THINK THIS IS RIGHT.... IT WAS A KNOWN FACT THAT THIS WHITEY HAD A GIRL FRIEND AND IF I AM RIGHT JUST BEFORE THE INVASION HE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HER AND IN IT SHE SAID TO HIM KEEP AN EYE ON THIS NEW SONG ON THE HIT PARADE IT WOULD BE NUMBER ONE SOON WHEN I RETURNED TO ENGLAND FOR LEAVE THREE MONTHS LATER IT WAS NUMBER ONE ON THE HIT PARADE AND THE NAME OF THE SONG WAS "I'LL WALK ALONE" [*Can we find "Whitey"?

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? ....................

[*?*] Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? I COULD BUT WOULD RATHER TALK THIS OVER...............

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? NOT DURING THE TWENTY FOUR HOUR PERIOD YOU ARE INTERESTED IN.......

- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name GEORGE R.HACKETT JR:

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 ONLY THING I CAN REMEMBER DURING THE TWENTY FOUR HOUR PERIOD:IS THE DESTROYER LOSING ITS WAY..THIS [crossed out]DOSENT[end crossed out]DOSEN'T SOUND TO BAD UNTIL YOU REALIZE THAT THE CHANNELS FOR CROSSING WERE ALL MARKED WITH LITTLE RED LIGHTS JUST AS A STREET WOULD BE MARKED.

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? GETTING UNDERWAY FOR THE SECOND TIME....THIS TIME FROM SOUTHHAMPTON.

Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? ONE THOUSAND YARDS OFF [crossed out]THE[end crossed out] UTAH BEACH NORMANDY 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...... NOT OFF HAND

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.

[*HOME ADDRESS GEO.R.HACKETT JR. 624 GRENNEN ST. VALLEJO, CALIF.

HOME PHONE MIWAY 33054*]

Cornelius Ryan

Frances Ward Research, The Reader's Digest

1 MAY,1958

DEAR MISS WARD,

DURING THE INVASION OF NORMANDY I WAS AN ENLISTED MEMBER OF COMMANDER L.C.T.FLOTILLA 17 STAFF AN AMPHIBIOUS UNIT CONCERNED WITH THE LANDING OF TROOPS ON UTAH BEACH. WE ARRIVED OFF THE COAST OF NORMANDY ABOUT FOUR HOURS BEFORE H HOUR AND REMAINED FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS AS A SUPPORT UNIT.

I AM NOW A MEMBER OF THE CREW OF THE FIRST NUCLEAR SUBMARINE TO BE BUILT ON THE WEST COAST.THE USS SARGO (SS(N) 583 NEAR COMPLETION HERE AT MARE ISLAND,CALIF.

I THINK I WOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU SOME USEFUL INFORMATION ON THE AMPHIBIOUS OPERATION; BEFORE,DURING AND AFTER THE INVASION.

I AM, George R. Hackett GEORGE R.HACKETT JR.QM2(SS) USN. USS SARGO(SS(N)583 MARE ISLAND NAVAL SHIPYARD VALLEJO,CALIF.