Show notes
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This week, following the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we’re sharing stories from the archives that remember and honor WWII veterans.
First we hear an interview with Len Lomell, originally aired in 2006. SSGT Lomell was a WWII Veteran and the last survivor of the assault on Pointe-Du-Hoc.
D-Day, 6 June 1944, was the largest invasion in the history of the world. Pointe-Du-Hoc was a nearly 100-meter high cliff, with perpendicular sides jutting out into the English Channel. You won’t believe the story of this incredible example of American ingenuity as we learn how this small group of Rangers was finally able to accomplish their mission despite all the SNAFUs. Join us as we talk with Len Lomell, the last survivor of the assault on Pointe-Du-Hoc. Len was a Toms River, NJ man. After the war he married and had 3 daughters while building a successful law practice. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 91.
Next we hear from author and history scholar Robert Lundgren, author of “The World Wonder’d: What Really Happened off Samar,” in an interview recorded in 2015.
This year marks the invasion’s 80th anniversary, and the last of the battle’s veterans are dying off, which makes honoring their sacrifice all the more important.
“The battles of WWII are not only part of our immediate heritage; our success in the war is why our heritage survives today,” says Lundgren, who adds that other veterans of the war also deserve to be honored. Throughout a 10-year period, he wrote “The World Wonder’d: What Really Happened Off Samar”. In the process of writing he had to learn how to read Kanji, which, in 1944, was closer to Chinese than what is spoken today in modern Japan.
“Accuracy in history matters,” he says. “Not only does it inform our current and future decisions – we also owe that integrity for those who fought for our privileges today.”
Lundgren discusses more details from WWII in honor of D-Day.
For the original program information, click here.
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