THIS
THIS TRIBUTE TO TROOPS KILLED AT WAR IN DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE WAS INSPIRED BY THE
HALLOWED GROUND OF THE
AMERICAN CEMETERY 4@ABOVE OMAHA
BEACH. DURING THE LAST
DECADE, CURATORS OF THE EAST
TENNESSEE VETERANS MEMORIAL
CONTINUE TO UNCOVER 4@STORIES
BEHIND THE MORE THAN SIX
THOUSAND 4@NAMES ETCHED IN STON.
RECENTLY, HISTORIANS 4@
IDENTIFED HOW MANY DIED ON
D-DAY AND THROUGHOU THE ALMOST
THREE MONTH-LONG CAMPAIGN IN
NORMANDY.
4@
4@
"EDWIN 4@
"EDWIN P.
"EDWIN P. BEST"THIS IS GOLD PLATED STEEL COVERED BIBLE. "HEAT SHIELD.""MAY THIS KEEP
YOU SAFE FROM HARM."IT WAS A
GIFT FROM A GRANDMOTHER TO HER
SOLDIER GRANDSON TO KEEP IN
HIS BREAST POCKET THROUGHOUT
WORLD WAR II."YEAE SURVIVED
AND
4@
HE 4@
HE WAS @
HE WAS FROM MARYVILLE."THAT NEW TESTEMANT IS AMONG BOXES OF INTIMATE FAMILY KEEPSAKES
PRESERVED BY THE CENTER FOR
THE STUDY OF WAR AND SOCIETY
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE.
"WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PERSONAL
EXPERIENCES OF THE AMERICAN
SOLDIER.""DR. JOHNSON STARTED
INTERVIEWING PRIMARILY WORLD
WAR II VETERANS, STARTED AS A
WORLD WAR II CENTER."AND SINCE
IT'S FOUNDING
4@
IN 4@
IN 1984, 4@
IN 1984, THE 4@
IN 1984, THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE HAS AMASSED MORE THAN 300 INTERVIEWS WITH
MILITARY VETERANS. ALL ARE
POSTED ONLINE ANDOFFER A
WINDOW INTO LIFE ON THE
FRONTLINES AND SPECIFIC
BATTLES, LIKE
"HERE'S
"HERE'S ONE FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR."CLIFFORD KEENAN PARACHUTED INTO FRANCE ON
D-DAY, BUT THE TENNESSEE
NATIVE WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON
JUNE 6, 1944. HIS BOX HOLDS A
10 THOUSAND DOLLAR LIFE
INSURANCE PAYMENT TO HIS
FAMILY FROM THE
4@4@
GOVERNMENT 4@4@
GOVERNMENT AND 4@4@
GOVERNMENT AND CONDOLENCE LETTERS."THIS IS AFTER HE WENT MISS4@ING SOMEONE WROTE..MY
DEAR, I CANNOT EXPRESS MY
SORROW OF THE NEWS THAT CLIFF
HAS BEEN MISSING SINCE D-DAY"
FAMILY LETTERS SHOW HIS
MOTHER
MOTHER CONTINUED TO WRITE TO HER SON AFTER HE WAS DECLARED MISSING."AND THEN ITS ANOTHER 4@
MONTH THAT THEY GET THE
TELEGRAM HE WAS KILLED IN
ACTION"LITTLE WE CAN DO OR
SAY WILL CON4@SOLE YOU FOR THE
DEATH OF YOUR
4@4@
LOVED 4@4@
LOVED ONE..WE 4@4@
LOVED ONE..WE APPRECIATE THE GREATNESS OF YOUR LOSS FOR IN A VERY REAL SENSE THE LOSS
SUFFERED BY ANY OF US IN THIS
BATTLE FOR OUR COUNTRY IS A
LOSS SHARED BY ALL OF
US"HAMILTON COUNTY HAD THE LARGEST NUMBER WHO DIED AS PART OF THE NORMANDY CAMPAIGN
WITH 29"JOHN ROMEISER IS
PROFESSOR EMERITUS AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF 4@TENNESSEE AND
ONE OF THE CARETAKERS OF THE
EAST TENNESSEE VETERANS
MEMORIAL IN DOWNTOWN
KNOXVILLE.
THE
THE WORLD
THE WORLD WAR TWO SECTION HOLDS THE NAMES OF ALMOST FOUR THOUSAND WAR DEAD REPRESENTING
35 EAST TENNESSEE COUNTIES.
"HOW MANY OF THOSE 4@INDIVIDUAL
HAD A CONNECTION WITH THE
NORMANDY CAMPAIGN AND 4@IN FACT
WERE KILLED OR DIED THERE BY
ACCIDENT"AS IT TURNS OUT
THERE ARE 228 NAMES FROM EAST
TENNESSEE WHICH IS A LOTDID
4@THAT SURPRISE 4@YOU?...IT DID
IT DID BECAUSE WORLD WAR II
WAS FOUGHT ON MANY
4@
DIFFERENT 4@
DIFFERENT PARTS 4@
DIFFERENT PARTS OF 4@
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE 4@
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD" "SOME OF THE SMALL COUNTIES HAD JUST ONE BUT EVERY COUNTY
HAD AT LEAST SOMEONE WHO WAS
THERE IN NORMANDY WHO GAVE UP
THEIR LIVES""HOW MANY DIED ON
D-DAY FROM EAST TENNESSEEOF
THOSE 228, THERE WERE PROBABLY
ABOUT 30 THAT
4@
WERE 4@
WERE SPECIFICALLY 4@
WERE SPECIFICALLY ON JUNE 6 30 YEAR OLD HORACE STEPHENS FROM BLOUNT COUNTY DIED JUNE 6
1944"HE MOST LIKELY WOULD 4@HAV
BEEN ON UTAH BEACH"4@TWO DAYS
LATER IN THE 4@WATERS OFF UTAH
BEACH RICHARD FOUST OF KNO4@X
COUNTY ALSO PERISHED IN THE
NORMANDY CAMPAIGN. THE PRESS
KNEW BEFORE HIS MOTHER."SHE
ACTUALLY FOUND 4@OUT IN THE
KNOXVILLE PAPER THAT THE USS
REICH HAD HIT A MINE AND SUNK
BEFORE THE NAVY NOTIFIED HER
COMMAND SERGEANT BEN FRANKLIN
SURVIVED THE FIRST WAVE AT
D-DAY AND BEFORE HIS DEATH, HE @
EVEN TRAVELED BACK TO FRANCE
TO SHARE HIS STORY WITH
PROFESSOR ROMEISER AND HIS 4@
STUDENTS."HE WAS IN THE FIRST
WAVE, EARLY IN THE MORNING
6:30 OR SO ON
JUNE
JUNE 6.
JUNE 6. HE HAD ALREADY 4@ SURVIVED FIGHTING IN NORTH AFRICA AND SICILY AND HE WAS
ALL OF 18 YEARS OLD"4@"HE WAS
ON THE LANDING BOAT, THEY HIT
A MINE, THE BOAT BLEW OUT OF
THE WATER. HE FELL DOWN
4@
IN 4@
IN THE 4@
IN THE WATER 4@
IN THE WATER WITH 4@
IN THE WATER WITH ALL 4@
IN THE WATER WITH ALL 4@HIS EQUIPMENT HE COULD 4@BARELY MAK IT TO THE SURFACE, HE HAD TO
GET RID OF HIS SUPPLIES AND
AMMUNITION, HIS RIFLE, SWIM TO
SHORE"4@"ONCE HE GOT TO SHORE,
THE FAMOUS STATEMENT HE MADE
TO THE STUDETNS AND THEY 4@LOVE
IT WASELL I GUESS THIS IS
WHERE I'M GOING TO4@ START MY
WAR RIGHT HEREHE PROBLEM IS
HE DIDN'T' 4@HAVE A GUN"JUST
THE CHAOSI CAN'T FATHOM IT
REALLYCYNTHIA TINKER SERVED
IN THE MILITARY AND THIS WAR
HISTORIAN ALSO HOLDS A DEEPLY
PERSONAL CONNECTION TO
VETE4@RANS OF THE 4@NORMANDY
CAMPAIGN."ITS FUNNY I DO THIS
FOR
A
A LIVING
A LIVING BECAUSE MY GRANDDAD WOULD NEVER TALK ABOUT HIS SERVICE. HE WAS D PLUS THREE
AND 4@HE WAS WITH THE
QUARTERMASTER CORPS AND
DRIVING THE TRUCKS FOR THE RED
BALL EXPRESS AND HE PICKED UP
BODIES4@"I DO REMEMBER HIM
SAYING SOME OF THAT STUFF
SHOULDN'T BE 4@TALKED ABOUT AND
I THINK IT JUST IMPACTED HIM
SO DEEPLY BECAUSE 4@OF THE JOB
HE HAD"EVERYBODY'S
EXPERIENCE IS SO 4@DIFFERENTAND
THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF 4@THE
CENTER, TO GET THESE
INDIVIDUAL STORIES"4@
4@ STILL AHEAD -4@ 75
YEARS LATER... "AND AS FAR AS
WE'RE 4@CONCENRED YOU'RE 100
PERCENT EXPENDABLE" THE
STORIES OF SOME EAST TENNESSEE