Twenty eight days after D-Day I went ashore on Omaha Beach and was quickly made aware of the terrors associated with combat in the infamous hedgerows of Normandy, the site depicted in the movie “Saving Private Ryan.” Following the D-Day invasion, American forces were stalled in our attempt to take the town of St Lo, a strategic regional communications center, that the Germans defended fiercely. At that time the battle for Normandy still hung in the balance and American gains or losses were often measured in yards.
All that changed on the morning of July 25, when from a foxhole on the outskirts of St Lo I observed what was said to have been the largest American bombing raid ever carried out, involving over 2,000 planes. History reveals that some 1,300 B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses, participated in that raid. The pilot in one of those B-24s was Captain Heath Carriker. The sky was blackened with heavy anti-aircraft fire that morning, as the first group of bombers approached. Each succeeding group drew less ack-ack fire as the bombs took their toll on their target below. I saw two heavy bombers go down in flames, but the mission was highly successful and allowed the Allied forces to fan out across France, ultimately paving the way for end of the war.
It was many years later, in a conversation with Heath, I learned that he was a pilot in that raid, as well as many other missions. In my book he is an American hero and I am proud to call him my comrade in arms, my good friend and my Masonic brother! My best wishes to Heath and Jackie on their historic flight in Lexington!
Bunn T. Phillips Jr.
Rockingham
Thank you for your warm and enduring letter about your friend. I can relate so well as my brother Henry Edward Hall PFC U S army was a POW in WW2. He was working at Kolpman mills in Cordova at age 16 ,he hsd fudged his age to go to work to help support our large family so instead of the 17 year old limit ,he was drafted to serve at age 16. He went to fort Jackson SC for basic and remained there until his 17th birthday,which they though he was 18. He was sent to Germany on the queen mary and was on the front lines at the battle of the buldge. He was captured along with the entire 106 and held prisoner in Dresden Germany. He suffered many hardships in his life but never lost his faith in his country. He has sinced past and his story went untold to the world,of his own personal suffering as well as those he served with. He spent his life serving his lord and providing for his wife and daughter. He told me a few years before his death that he had no regrets of his service and that his country owed him nothing ,rather he owed his country for the privilage of living here in the USA. He said to me ,he would gladly pick up a weapon at age 73 and defend this country once again if he were ask to do so. Like your friend my brother was a real american hero,an unsung hero,and I think we need to continue to let this generation know who the reals ,true heros are. Thank you for keeping your friends legacy alive, we need all the heroes we can get .