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Army veteran recalls D-Day aftermath
Published 12:00pm Tuesday, June 9, 2009Even though 65 years have gone by, 84-year-old Arnold Shirley recalls landing with other soldiers at Normandy Beach on June 9, 1944, three days after the initial D-Day invasion. The former Rothsay resident, who moved to Fergus Falls 13 months ago, vividly recollects his role with the Allied Forces who marched all the way to Berlin during World War II.
“We had them (the Germans) on the run, but it was tough going,” said Shirley to about 70 people who gathered at noon Monday at the county museum. “Much of the time we didn’t know where we were going, and just followed the men and armored personnel in front of us.”
The Normandy landings in France commenced on June 6, 1944 (D-Day). The assault was conducted in two phases: an air assault landing of American, British and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry.
The Allied invasion was detailed in several overlapping operational plans, as noted at the D-Day museum which Shirley visited in France in 1994. During the war he served his country as a tech sergeant.
Shirley’s comments followed an hour-long video of the Normandy invasion and the march to Berlin. The former Rothsay resident was only 19 when he landed at Normandy Beach in a flat-bottomed boat.
He agrees with comments made by the late Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, who said that Americans “fought through every obstacle to victory. Teamwork wins wars, with the spirit of free people working together.”
Shirley and fellow soldiers were part of a division of 17,000 men. Included were the 66th and 67th Regiments.
When asked by one of the 70 attendees during Monday’s gathering if he was injured during the war, Shirley replied, “I broke my collarbone in basic training when we took long hikes, many of them during nighttime hours. Other than that, I was one of the lucky ones.”
Over the years he’s shared his war experiences with his three sons, Allan of Vergas, Leslie of Rothsay and Jeffrey of Mapleton, N.D. His wife, Lorraine, died in 1983.
As the owner of Shirley Service in Rothsay, he sold gasoline from 1959 to 1989. He was a charter member of the Rothsay Lions Club after World War II. Shirley was a mainstay with the Rothsay volunteer fire department for 27 years, joining one year after the war ended, in 1946.
He’s helped plan Rothsay class reunions and has taken part in PARTNERS (People Around Rothsay That Need Extra Services.) This is a partners program that helps senior citizens stay in their homes and lead independent lives. The volunteers help shop for groceries, mow lawns and perform other tasks.
He and his second wife, Phyllis, have held offices in the Sons of Norway.
