| Pvt. Wilkie, D-Day 
Private Wilkie, was one of the Handful of Survivors from Omaha Beach. All of the Officers and Sergents, and over 80% of the Troops were Killed within the First Hour. Private Wilkie went on to Serve Our Coutry as a Fire Fighter after WW2. He Died Tragically in 1971 Fighting a House Fire. To the End, his Life Stood for God and Country!!  LCT 305July29th 1944 Dear Dad and family, I received four letters from the family today and was sure glad to hear from you.I want you to do me a favor if you possibly can.Try to get several Life magazines dated June 19th and save them for me.The pictures in it were taken when we landed on the beach. The bottom picture on page 28 shows the LCT number 305, the one we were on.The fellow that took the picture made several mistakes in his statements about it. In the first place there were 8 vehicles in it. The halftracts are lined up so it looks like 4.In the second place he said the LCT was sailing gracefully toward the shore, but it wasn't going racefully because that was our 3rd attempt to land. We were driven off the first two times by fire from the Germans and in backing off the third time we hit a mine and water began to come in,besides having only one motor left out of three,the rudder was
knocked partially off. We moved back out a couple of thousand yards and started to evacuate the ship,but then decided to try to make land before it sank.The picture was taken when we went in the third time, gradually sinking and with one motor.We made it the third time,but we were stranded pretty far out.So the ramp went down and we rolled out. Things were pretty hot on beach,and many Americans lost their lives,but plenty of Germans did too. It was something I don't like to write about,but the Nazis have already paid for it and they will keep on paying.I have no pity for them at all.I never thought I would love to see anyone suffer,but it was really nice to see the Germans laying there dying. They are dirty fighters using all kinds of tricks to kill someone.They would even booby trap both American and German bodies to explode when our medics moved them. Our battalion was selected to be the one to hit the beach with the initial assult troops on D-day.There were many reasons for that.One was because we were highly mobile and had plenty of firepower,and the 197th was the best in the First Army,and one of the two best that ever left the states,according to several generals.I was lucky to be put in the 197th.We were the only unit in the whole invasion to hit with the initial assult troops and not have previous combat experience. We are really going to town now and will be in Germany before long.Tell everone "hello" for me.Hope Ferrie is doing fine.So long for now. I'll write again real soon, and I'll be home much quicker than you think.
Love to all,
Ernest 
Warren Fays (Left) and Pvt. Wilkie (Right), France Wilkie in Bucket (Photo by Warren Fays) |
