http://www.timesdispatch.com/MGBO8B57INC.html

and

http://www.timesdispatch.com/vametro/dday/MGBZH75QENC.html

good reading.   Thanks for posting the link

My father is in Bedford now for the dedication of that monument. My dad was 3rd platoon leader and XO of Co. B, 121st Combat Engineers assigned to the 116th Infantry Regiment. He too came ashore at Dog Green. My dad always told me that he was in the "second wave" during the invasion. I have since learned he was in the second line of landing craft during the first wave, right behind Co. A of the 116th. The invasion started at 06:30 and dad came ashore about 07:10. The second wave didn't start until 0900.

He told me that he thinks he and his platoon survived the landing because they hit a sandbar, and offloaded out in the water. By the time they got to the beach, they had spread out and were not all bunched together.  He said they almost drowned trying to get to shore and lost most of their gear they brought to breach the beach obstacles. He told me that he could see the Germans on the bluff shooting at him and he tried to return fire but his weapon was filled with sand and water. He only got a few shots off  before it jammed. They ended up fighting as infantry once they came ashore; rearming themselves from the wounded or dead ahead of them. He said one of the things that he vividly recalls is the wounded men pleading with them to "Pull me up on shore", so they wouldn't drown in the rising tide.  Dad said he tried to pull a couple guys up, but he only moved them a few feet, and he had to keep going, or he would have ended up lying there too.

I'm been researching his exploits and trying to piece together more about what he did.  Dad doesn't really get into great detail about his experiences, other than those that had a pleasent or good ending. He won't talk about fire fights or real traumatic stuff, but I know he did some serious sh** from his medals and citations. He's opened up more recently so I'm documenting everything he tells me.