Memories of war vivid 60 years after D-Day

One WWII veteran reflects on fateful
day in history

BY VINCE ECHAVARIA
Staff Writer

One WWII veteran reflects on fateful
day in history
BY VINCE ECHAVARIA
Staff Writer


JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff Patrick Campbell, 80, Leonardo, is a veteran of World War II who served with the U.S. Army from 1943-1945.JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff Patrick Campbell, 80, Leonardo, is a veteran of World War II who served with the U.S. Army from 1943-1945.

MIDDLETOWN — When Patrick Campbell looks back 60 years to the D-Day invasion, he reflects on his own war experiences at the time.

Campbell, 80, a Leonardo resident since 1971, is a veteran of World War II who served with the U.S. Army from March 1943 until October 1945. On June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when the Allied Forces invaded the beaches of Normandy, France, Campbell was with the 45th infantry division in southern Italy.

As the 60th anniversary of that fateful date in history approaches, Campbell said it has a certain meaning for that time of his life, even though he wasn’t directly involved in the invasion, because it was a part of the war.

"When you participated in something, you have to be concerned about it, and I’m happy people are making a big deal about it," he said. "Sometimes I look back and think about where I was. That’s what it means to me."

When thousands of Allied troops were fighting to liberate France from German occupation that historic day, Campbell and the 45th infantry division were in Pecum, Italy, south of Rome, preparing for an invasion of their own with the 7th Army.

The 45th infantry made an earlier landing at Anzio beach in order to enter Rome, where it took over the capital city on June 4, 1944, he said. After Rome was captured, the 45th infantry was stationed with the 7th Army on D-Day, to prepare for another landing in southern France on Aug. 15, 1944, he said.

The news of the Allied invasion in Normandy reached the soldiers in Italy, and was a sign that the war was headed in a new direction, he said. Campbell was aware of its significance, but said he had to focus on the tasks ahead.

"I knew it was a big event, but I thought what we were doing was big too," he said.

After the Allied forces reached Normandy and secured the beachhead, Campbell felt it was a matter of time before the war momentum would change and they would be going home.

Although the D-Day invasion was the beginning of change in the war, it was also a "horrible" thing, he said, because thousands of soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice in the effort to rid the world of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

"A lot of people died at that time, and that’s just the way it is," he said. "Some made it and some didn’t."

In the six decades since that day, Campbell and many other World War II veterans have lived full lives with different memories, but many still try to associate themselves with people who share similar experiences of that time.

Campbell is a member of the American Legion Post No. 338, Leonardo, where he is the service officer of the unit. He participates in the various meetings and social events with many other veterans of war, and also walked with the legion post during the Memorial Day parade May 31.

"You want to talk to someone who understands it like you," Campbell said of the legion.

Richard Lougee, Leonardo, is another member of the legion post 338, and served with the U.S. Army in Germany in 1946. He was part of the occupation of Europe after the end of the war, and also said D-Day was the beginning of the end for Hitler and the Nazis.

"It was the day we got into Hitler country, because once we got in, we went after him and he had nowhere to go," Lougee said. "We’re celebrating what really is the biggest invasion ever conducted by any country."

Campbell now lives with his wife, Irene, and has six children, Patrick Jr., Michael, Timothy, Jeffrey, Deborah and Maureen. The couple has 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

He grew up in Gillespie, Ill., and was entered in military service in March 1943 at the age of 19. Campbell felt ready to serve because most people he knew at the time were entering the armed forces.

He was not the only Campbell son to head off to war 60 years ago. Two of his three brothers also enlisted. One brother joined the U.S. Army, and the other was with the U.S. Navy during war operations in the Pacific, he said.

When Campbell boarded the ship out of Camp Patrick Henry, Va., in October 1943, and headed overseas to one of the most important wars of the 20th century, he wasn’t too preoccupied with the journey that he was about to embark on, he said.

"I never thought much about it," he said. "It wasn’t until I was under fire that I wondered what I was doing there."

His first stop in the war was at Arzu in northern Africa. He then went on to Italy in December 1943 to join the 45th infantry.

After the division made the landing in southern France in August 1944, the troops fought their way through the country and into Germany, he said.

Campbell’s war zone path into Munich, Germany, lasted until May 1945, he said, and it was in Germany where Campbell saw his worst memories of the war at Dachau Concentration Camp.

"We were one of the units that went to Dachau and they were still burning bodies when we went through there," he said. "There were a lot of dead people in railroad cars and freight trains, and the people were stacked wearing their striped uniforms with the numbers on them. Don’t let anyone tell you it didn’t happen, because it did."

Campbell had his share of horrifying experiences in the war, including artillery and mortar attacks. At the time at Dachau, where over 30,000 people died, stands out as the worst of them all, he said.

"Sometimes I wonder how I made it," he said.

Some of the tension was eased by writing letters to his family and loved ones through a mail program that was set up by the Army, he said.

After nearly two years of being stationed oversees, Campbell knew he would soon be on his way home when the Allied Forces claimed "victory in Europe" on VE-Day, May 8, 1945. It wasn’t until October 1945 that he arrived home with the 11th Tank Battalion, and was discharged from the Army.

"The first few weeks I was home I wondered where I was at because I didn’t fit in," he said. "It was a great life because I didn’t have to listen to anyone and I did what I wanted."

Campbell wasted no time adjusting to life after the war, as he got a job at the Hot Point factory in Chicago, where he worked as a product specialist on refrigeration. He transferred to New Jersey in 1971 to continue product work on refrigerators and air conditioners, but his career path was something he never thought about, he said.

The time that Campbell wore an Army uniform has long since past, and although he left the war zone without any injuries, the signs of living a full life have started to settle in and have taken a toll on his body.

"I have some aches and pains, but right now it’s pretty good," he said. "All I want is good health for me and my family."

In the many years that have passed since Campbell served his country, he has never forgotten about how it positively affected his life.

"All it does is make me feel good that I was able to help straighten out some of the problems the world faces," he said.

Very few World War II veterans are still around to celebrate the historic 60th anniversary of D-Day, Campbell said. The anniversary is a testament to an American generation, whose young soldiers like Campbell, fought for freedom.

"It was something that had to be done, and we were the ones to do it," he said. "I didn’t think it was anything out of this world. It was just one of those things a person has to do."