The throttle on the landing craft begins to be eased back and you can hear the driver shouting. Suddenly, the ramp in front of several rows of soldiers drops into the water with a huge splash. For a moment you can see a beach, but you don't have time to think before German positions just past the open ground begin to fire on your craft. You hear shouts to, "go go go!"
You can see the men in front of you start to move, but they barely move a foot before 7.92 mm German MG bullets rip into them. You have to step on those fallen in front of you, but you manage to make it into the water and make a dash for a tank trap you see ahead. A stray round rips into your left hand and you take cover behind the tank trap. You yell for a medic, but no one can hear you in all the chaos. Seconds are an eternity in what can only be described as destruction and raw carnage.
Later, in a hastily constructed medical tent, you realize that you survived the encounter, but many of your friends did not. You have to live with the guilt of surviving something they did not.
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Memorial Day, is a day in America where we remember those who fell in battle. We remember the soldiers who died during harsh winters at Valley Forge, D-Day, the siege of Khe Sanh, the battle for Fallujah and a thousand other unnamed battlefields.
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To help honor those who have fallen, I created this image of a strong bald eagle. She is battle weary with signs of dirt on her white feathers, but she still stands. Behind her a battle worn U.S Flag stands as a symbol of freedom and a symbol of all those who have fallen.
We must never forget their sacrifice for out freedoms! I will never forget.
