Page 5

Vernon Augustine Thompson -4-

Mr.Ryan: Tell me, in England did you by any chance have a date with a girl for D-Day
and you couldn't keep it or anything like that

Thompson: No.

Mr. Ryan: Did you...you had a girl over there anyway...like every other -[crossed out] had [end crossed out] [inserted] you [end inserted]had a...

Thompson: No, particular...

Mr. Ryan: Like every other...you had...Well in other words there was no situation which
you were trying to have a date with some particular girl and then D-Day comes
along which held you up and you couldn't count on...

Thompson: No, I didn't have anything

Ryan: Yah, - what had you - had you been sealed off for long before D-Day - I mean...

Thompson: We had actually been sealed off for three days before D-Day

Mr. Ryan: Yah - now what about

Thompson: It was fairly discussed this day in Philadelphia and the episode and

Mr. Ryan: Did you discuss fear at all

Thompson: No, fear never entered our mind because along about on D-Day we had made so many
attempts and so I think our fear had actually left the biggest part of us
because we weren't sure this would be it again - I think our most fear was
back in our first attempt to go out or...or we thought that time was going to be
it and of course we always turned around about two thirds of the way across...
Our fear wasn't too much until we got over where we could see what was really
going on and our fear came then

Mr. Ryan: At about what time did the...did you first see the beaches

Thompson: I guess it must have been 6:30 in the morning

Mr. Ryan: Do you remember the captain of the PT boat - what his name was

Thompson: A Lt. Ettington (sounds like)

Ryan: Ettington - you don't remember his first name