Pointe Du Hoc and Jack Hamlin
On my second day of the Normandy visit, I went to Pointe du Hoc to see where rangers from the American Army scaled steep 100-metre high cliff faces. The cliff landing was rough and had winding paths everywhere you looked. The actual scenery was stunning with green grass that overlooked a sea made of glass. The only hint that gave away the tragic history was the bomb craters scattered every 30 feet, each one at least 40 feet wide.
After hoping back into the car, I visited Angoville au Plain. The church in this village served as a makeshift hospital when two American medics nursed both American and German soldiers. The pews of the church were still stained with blood, and there were memorials on the wall. Even so, the most interesting thing happened as I was leaving the church. There was a white-haired man who looked to be about 90, and quickly struck up a conversation. His name was Jack Hamlin. He told me about how he had been to Normandy twice: in 1944, on the 70th anniversary, and now on the 71st anniversary.
In the Second World War, Jack served on a ship and pulled paratroopers who had landed in the water back out and onto his ship. Next to the church was a squat building that seemed insignificant when I had first seen it, but Jack took me inside and ensured me that the history of the building was actually quite significant.
It turned out that he, along with other veterans, were staying in the building. I met other men that had served in Vietnam and fought their way through jungles. Along with them, I met the vehicle coordinator from Saving Private Ryan. The building was where the 101st airborne division camped out for a night or two. Colonel Sink’s bedroom and real jeeps that were used in WWII were only the highlights. There were pictures of the real band of brothers on the walls.
