One Who Served Our Country
War is often a topic of controversy. Reasons such as economics, religion, politics and power, are used to explain the complexities of war. As Americans we are fortunate to live in a country where we have brave men and women who are willing to fight for our country. These brave men and women fight for OUR freedom. Memorial Day is about recognizing these individuals who, at some time in their life, placed themselves in harm‘s way for the good of all of us. This weekend I was fortunate enough to meet a gentleman, a veteran from WWII, who was right there on the front lines securing our freedom for generations to come. This Memorial Day I would like to recognize an individual who displays his love and his pride for his country. He is a true American. He fought for freedom, and his strength, bravery and pride are what make our country strong.
John Normand is just one of the many individuals who deserves recognition this Memorial Day; here is his story:
I met John “Jack” Normand along the side of the road where I had stopped to capture a photograph of all the flags that line Sturbridge Road. Mr. Normand is from Springfield but spends his summers here in Holland, MA in his home on Hamilton Reservoir. I struck up a conversation with Mr. Normand after noticing a flag that was attached to his minivan, waving in the breeze. As we started talking I thought he looked to young to have been in Word War II, he must have been just a kid back in his Navy days. He was stationed on the USS Zeilin.
Jack told me about the USS USS Zeilin. and that the crew of the USS Zeilin. specialized in bringing troops in... that means being right in harm‘s way. Jack told me he participated in eight such missions in the course of his service to his country. I asked Mr. Normand, of the eight such missions he participated in was there one in particular that stood out? Was there one that was just more memorable than the others? Indeed there was one that stood out. He told me, “Tarawa Island.” When I asked why he told me in that mission they got stuck on the reef because of low tide. The low tide actually kept them there overnight giving the Japanese the opportunity to fire at them all night long. If you read a little history you will discover that in the end, the Japanese did not fair well in this battle even after firing on the USS Zeilin. the night that Jack Normand was aboard.
Jack Normand is proud to be a veteran and to have served his country. Today he gives back to the community by sharing history. Jack goes into schools and talks about what it was like to be in World War II. He said one of the questions the kids always ask is whether or not he was hit. Jack was not hit by any bullets, but the ship he was aboard, the USS Zeilin. got hit when he was aboard! They were in Guadalcanal in the Gilbert Islands when a Japanese Kamikaze aircraft attacked. The USS Zeilin. suffered a lot of topside damage. Although damaged the USS Zeilin. was able to continue on to Leyte in the Philippine Islands and that is where repairs were made.
Thank you Mr. Normand for taking your time to speak with me. Thank you for your service to this country; and have a great Memorial Day weekend! To read about the eight invasions that Jack Normand talks about when visiting classrooms, click here.
Dana Manning