The waves of Omaha

Published June 16, 2015
By Senior Airman Jannelle Dickey
2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

Barksdale Air Force Base, La. -- Shivering in the cold, packed in a fishing boat; an anxious man waits for an opportunity to make history. The battle begins, taking only minutes for one man to lose every officer in his squadron.

The day is June 6, 1944, and this soldier is storming on Omaha Beach Normandy, France.

Suddenly, John Carpenter, a 29 year old technical sergeant, was one of the highest ranking and oldest soldiers left; his experience invaluable to a group of young soldiers.

"Many of them lied [about their age] to get in the service. They were only 15 to 16 years old," said Carpenter. "These kids weren't trained the way the military trains today, so the war was pretty hard on them."

As the younger soldiers looked up to him for guidance, Carpenter internalized his fears as his unit went through intense, non-stop combat.

"When we were in fox holes, if someone moved or stood up, the Germans could tell where we were and everyone could be targeted," he said.

However, they did not let the Germans or the weather defeat them. The 88th Air Service Squadron from the 9th Air Force moved through Europe while supporting P-47 fighters in the invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.

"There was rain and snow," the World War II veteran explained. "We couldn't get aircraft off the ground or move tanks forward for three or four days. Finally, the sun came out. We launched everything, and we broke the drive of the Germans."

Carpenter previously served in the military in the 1930s and re-enlisted for the war in 1943. He was honorably discharged from the service after the war ended in 1945. His participation earned him honorary medals to include the Bronze Star and the French Legion of Honor.

Carpenter spent his post-military career as a civilian here at the 8th Air Force Headquarters while trying to forget the horrors he witnessed.

"When I came back from the war, they didn't have programs to treat people who had post-traumatic stress disorder," said the Shreveport, Louisiana resident. "I'd dream about being back on the battlefield while Germans were shooting at us, and I'd wake up in a cold sweat. That lasted several years before I got over it."

Carpenter turns 101 on Sept. 18. He is a widower with seven children and more than 25 grandchildren and great grandchildren combined. He's created scrapbooks filled with his proud contribution to history and the military he served in.

"The military service is the best training someone can get growing up," he said. "Military members are dedicated people; we have the best trained and equipped military in the world."