I’ve been thinking a lot about Mom and Dad these past several days, knowing they were just 14 years old when D-Day occurred on June 6, 1944.

The 80th anniversary of D-Day commemoration brought tears to my eyes, watching news coverage of the war veterans – some of whom had stormed the beaches of Normandy – honored and paying tribute to those who filled the cemeteries after the horrific battles.

While reading The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan over the weekend, I learned a lot about the planning and implementation of D-Day. That Irish author captured so many individual stories – many heartbreaking. Farmer Gary had already read the book back in high school (this should come as no surprise to any of us), so he watched the movie version in tribute.

As I finished the book last night, I wondered if Mom had written a poem about D-Day.

Indeed she did.

Tucked into my “Mom’s 1940s Writings” folder was a black journal with a selection of her handwritten poems from 1944 to 1948. She titled the book: Fascinations of Youth.

Although the poems are not in chronological order, it didn’t take me long to find this:

Here is the full poem:

History in the Making

It’s come! It’s happened! The D-Day is here,
The shelling and sorrow will soon seem so clear;
War pounced like a demon on far-away folk –
Who then had to bear the dread Nazi’s joke
’Til the Allies came over to lift up the yoke.

Humanity’s future is freedom at stake,
It depends on the movements the generals make,
The paratroops landed while fighters zoomed high
To battle resistance if out of the sky –
And the barges sped forward, men ready to die.

France was the target, the Normandy coast,
Men swarmed the objective, each staunch at his post,
And a seagull screamed over, it knew what was meant,
Why the troops, the equipment, and ships had been sent
To a far scene of battle where hatred was spent.

Onward to victory! Forward they go!
Though the way may be bloody and tedious and slow,
Forging the rivers and ploughing through sod –
At length Allied forces will conquer each odd,
And the world will repent and beg pardon from God.

~ Joan Virginia Cassidy, 14 years old, June 6, 1944

Now that I’ve done a bit more digging, I found a small stack of Mom’s 1940s poems, each in a separate envelope and held together by an ancient rubber band. And there it is – perhaps the first draft – using the title “Invasion!” Also, there’s a different final line: And deliver the world and its people to God.

With war bonds, ration books, black-out curtains, drills, plus news reports on the radio and in the paper, even a youngster couldn’t escape talk of war in 1944.

Here’s Grandpa’s registration card for service in World War II:

This was the second category of registrations, for older men. Grandpa was a policeman, so his service was at home in New Haven. Other relatives served overseas, such as Mom’s second-cousin Eddie Simpson:

Eighty years later, Mom’s poem still rings true. Little did she know as a 14-year-old girl, her words would continue to be read and cherished long after her passing.

---

“History in the Making” © June 6, 1944 Joan Cassidy. All rights reserved.

Would you like to receive an email notice when there’s a new Too Much Brudders story? Sign up here: