The above photo is taken from the North County Times. This is where I saw the ad to see Bob Watson, WWII Vet, speak at the Escondido Library. I took (dragged) Kyle with me, explaining the importance of witnessing a first hand account by someone who had actually experienced D-Day. (Kind of the same speech I gave him about seeing Doris Martin, Holocaust survivor, which you can read about in my blog archives.) It's one thing to read about it in a book, but how many chances are you ever going to have of an eye witness relating these world changing events? Mr. Watson sprinkled his emotionally charged story with humor where he could. He joined the Navy instead of the Army because the Navy seemed more elite and he thought he would get a lot of attention from the girls by wearing his sexy Navy uniform. He was only 18 when he was sent to Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, after being drafted and spending only one month in boot camp. All the sailors on his boat were 18 and 19 years old, had never seen combat, and were scared to death. I was on the edge of my seat as he described how their boat started taking on water as it plowed through high waves and choppy seas, in dismal, foggy conditions. They were supposed to rush out of the boat and storm the beach but they were struck by land mines planted in the water by the Germans. Bob found himself clinging to a rubber life boat, shaking and trembling in terror. Once on the beach, he had to scramble over dead bodies to find a fox hole while dodging bullets flying around his head. He had been wounded by shrapnel from the mines and was surprised when an army medic ran up to him and injected him with one of the many morphine needles dangling from his jacket. Many in his battalion never made it to the beach, and he had to witness some of his buddies being shot down, right before his eyes. A friend in a foxhole next to him, raised his head up to look around, only to have it blown off his body. Bob spent 28 hair raising days on Omaha Beach, received several promotions, and was eventually put in charge of herding German POW's down to the beach to be shipped to England. He chokes up a little remembering the young men who lost their lives there and were never honored for their heroic deeds. While his emotions are still close to the surface, even after all these years, he also has a quick sense of humor. One audience member introduced an elderly gentleman who had also been there on D-Day and thought they might possibly know each other. Bob said, excitedly, "I saw him! He was wearing a helmet!" Bob and his lovely wife of over 60 years have been back to France many times and he is always treated with great respect there. On a recent visit, a group of young German soldiers spent an hour talking to him about his experiences on Omaha Beach. They shook his hand and thanked him for saving their country! Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg also shook his hand on a recent visit and Mr. Spielberg took him aside and asked if he had done a good job with the movie (Saving Private Ryan). Bob said he thought he'd done the best he could, but the soldiers in the movie looked like they were in their late 20's when in reality, nobody there was over 19 years old. He said the bloody scenes depicted in the first part of the movie were 20 times worse in real life. Kyle and I had the honor of speaking to Bob's son and daughter in law afterwards, who told us he had been so traumatized by his experience, he was unable to speak about it for 50 years. I am so glad he is speaking about it now because these things should never be forgotten. Someone who has lived through such horror deserves to have their story heard by everyone. He also speaks at high schools and I'm told he is at the Midway every Saturday to answer any questions. I felt honored to be in his presence and asked if I could shake his hand. He took my hand in his and kissed it ever so gallantly, saying with a charming smile, "I'm sorry. It's the old sailor in me!" Thank you, Mr. Watson. You are a true hero and we are honored to have met you.
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