Page 8

Invasion of Normandy:

by Ted Rips

The reinvasion of Normandy began on July 3rd with the arrivalof the CSUN army of 33 stu-

dents directed by retired Army officer,Dr. Stephen Bourque, and assisted byDavid Livingstone, a veteran of previ-ous staff rides to Chickamauga andGettysburg. Like all successful cam-paigns, the CSUN expedition to the siteof Operation Overlord and the invasion

of Europe in 1944 required several yearsof planning by the staff and preparationby the students in History 497F and 641.In these courses students engaged in re-search focusing on the major Allied orAxis units, individuals, and specific tac-tics in the Normandy campaign. The stu-dents prepared to discuss their researchwhen they arrived in the theater of op-erations.

Upon arrival in Paris, the CSUNinvading force relocated to LZ HolidayInn in Caen. They celebrated the 4th withtheir first victory following months ofsecret planning. Atop the tower of Will-iam the Conqueror’s Castle, SeanLawheed, on bended knee, proposed toLindsay Griffiths who said “yes” to thecheers of the entire platoon.

D-Day actually began at the PegasusBridge, a critical engagement in whichBritish glider pilots landed and captureda key bridge from German forces thathad put in dynamite to blow it up andstop the allied advance. The Northridgeforce met three British veterans fromPegasus the next day, be-decked with medallionsand banners, and eagerto share their memorieswith the CSUN Yanks.

On the 6 th the pla-toon “walked hallowedground. They stood onthe cliffs at Pointe duHoc where the Rangersgave their lives. Theywalked the entire 2.5miles of Omaha Beach,in the water of the En-glish Channel, and onthe sand. . . . Theyclimbed the cliffs to themonument of the BigRed One.” They re-turned the next morningto the Colleville Cem-etery at Omaha Beach

for the National Anthem and flag raisingceremony, a distinct honor and very mov-ing experience for the CSUN recruits.Professor Bourque selected seven partici-pants who had relatives that had partici-pated in the invasion of Europe includ-ing grandfathers, cousins, and uncles whohad landed at Normandy.

At each battle site students discov-ered that their preparation of the relevantliterature and an annotated bibliographydefinitely enhanced their understandingof what had happened almost sixty yearsago. Jaylena Paterson, for example, hadstudied the “Mulberries,”, which had beenmade in England and brought over tomake a breakwater and man-made har-bor off the Normandy beaches in orderto bring in men and equipment to cap-ture the port of Cherbourg. To find onethat had washed a shore at Omaha andstand on it more than made her day.“Looking over the edge, down the cliffs, Ican imagine the men climbing up” underGerman fire, noted Jennifer Garrett. “Itdoes not compare with reading about it

Sean Lawheed proposes to LindsayGriffiths.

“Professor Bourque, This is amulberry!”: Jaylena Patterson onOmaha Beach.

R&R in Paris: Escargo and Beaujolais, Vive la France!:Left to right, Jennifer Garrett, Amanda Thomas,Manuel Menchaca, Summer Stoner, Quinn Bobbitt,Gerald Devore, Jaylena Patterson, Lee Neckameyer, andHarout Garabedian.

Page 9

CSUN Style

CSUN Platoon at Collville Cemetery

in a book, being here makes all the dif-ference.” In making his presentation tothe group, Todd Maki emphasized that“things that make sense to us now, likeusing the same radio frequencies betweenthe ground and aircraft were just beingdeveloped here in Normandy.” Some ofthe students recalled the personal expe-riences of their relatives, such as Jason

McClure: “when my grandfather left, hehad not seen my mother, she was bornwhile he was here. . . risking his life in acountry that was not his home. The menhere were fathers, brothers, and children.We must never forget that.”

After over a week in the field, theCSUN platoon headed for Paris, a his-tory course in itself. Under ProfessorBourque’s rule that everyone went out

with at least one buddy, they started offat the Les Invalades, the main nationalhistory museum, and then took off tak-ing advantage of day light until 10:30 p.m.with some going to Versailles, NotreDame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triumph,and a cemetery with graves ranging fromJim Morrison of the Doors to Chopin,Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, and GertrudeStein.

As the students headed for home af-ter Bastille Day to complete their requiredjournals, they agreed with Bob Tomilisonthat “this is the only way to study history.To walk the terrain and see what thosepeople went through during the massiveinvasion,” the participants who foughtand died on both sides. You learn not onlythe tactics and strategies of the war andthe ground that was fought over, but youalso come away with a mixture of pride inthe Allied accomplishment and sadnessin the cemeteries as you observe the never-ending rows of Allied and Axis graves.

The campaign may be viewed onlineat http://www.tedrips.com/normandy.

The CSUN PlatoonNaomi Ashley Todd MakiDarcy Bieber Jason McClureQuinn Bobbitt Amber McPhersonMitch Brown Manuel MenchacaSarah Campbell Lee NeckameyerGerald Devore Hannah ObertKelly Everett Jaylena PattersonAriel Flores Eddie RamosHarout Garabedian Ted RipsJennifer Garrett Mereanda SeelyLindsay Griffiths Summer StonerGuss Heather Lon StraussWalt Hall Prudence StromeJarrod Kellog Amanda ThomasPeter Kindesvatter Mark ThriftSean Lawheed Bob TomilisonJessica Little Eric UlfeldtDavid LivingstoneProfessor Stephen Bourque

Raising the Flag at collville Cemetery: Left to right: Kelly Everett, ManuelMenchaca, Gerald Devore, Jason McClure, Sarah Campbell, Jarrod Kellogg, andTed Rips