BACK TO THE FRONT WWII VETERAN RETURNS TO NORMANDY TO HEAL SOME OLD WOUNDS.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
What a face. So proud and deeply lined, with eyes that almost jump off the page at you to say I've seen things and been places you wouldn't want to be. Pete Howenstein has. And now the 84-year-old Granada Hills World War II decorated veteran is packing his bags today - Memorial Day - to go back. Back to Utah Beach Utah Beach was the codename for one of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June, 1944. Utah was added to the invasion plan toward the end of the planning stages, when more landing craft became available. , where he fought as a young infantryman in the invasion of Normandy, and back to all those little French towns that he and his buddies helped liberate from the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge Battle of the Bulge, popular name in World War II for the German counterattack in the Ardennes, Dec., 1944–Jan., 1945. It is also known as the Battle of the Ardennes. On Dec. . He'll kiss his wife of 59 years, Marion, goodbye and head back to take care of some unfinished business he was too busy to do the first time around in 1944. Now seems the perfect time - on the 65th anniversary of D-Day. A major milestone. Even President Barack Obama will make the trip this D-Day, June 4, to honor all our servicemen and women who died there to keep the world free. "I need to kneel down and say a prayer at Utah Beach and in Metz, St. Lowe, Nancy and all those little towns my buddies and I liberated," Pete says. "A lot of them didn't make it home with me, and I never had the chance to say goodbye to them there. That's always been in my mind, always bothered me." Injured soldier meets general They were holed up in a barn in Metz, France, on Nov. 11, 1944, when the German artillery fire made a direct hit, killing 20 in the 80th Infantry Division, and wounding 15, including Pete. When he woke up, he was in a field hospital being readied for transportation back to the American 125th Army Hospital in England. The medics Med´ics n. 1. Science of medicine. told him he had sustained deep shrapnel shrapnel Originally, a type of projectile invented by the British artillery officer Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842), containing small spherical bullets and an explosive charge to scatter the shot and fragments of the shell casing. wounds to his neck, but Pete wasn't listening to them. His eyes and mind were transfixed on the figure making his way from cot to cot in the field station pinning Purple Hearts Purple Heart U.S. medal awarded to those wounded in military action. [Am. Hist.: Misc.] See : Bravery on his wounded men - Gen. George Patton. "He was there giving Purple Hearts to his men when I was wheeled in. I just laid there with tears in my eyes when he stood over me. "The general said a few words of thanks to each man, then he was gone, off to finish business. Win the damn war." Pfc. Pete Howenstein joined the general a few months later to help him win the damn war after recuperating from his shrapnel wounds. He returned to the 80th Infantry Division in time to make the winter offensive at Ardennes, where they moved northward north·ward adv. & adj. Toward, to, or in the north. n. A northern direction, point, or region. north and helped liberate Luxembourg and Bastogne. He came home a year later to meet Marion on a blind date, and begin a 34-year career with Pacific Bell as a lineman. But his heart was always in war-torn France and the buddies he left behind. Pete became a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members. The DAV was controversial during the 2006 election cycle. , the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion American Legion, national association of male and female war veterans, founded (1919) in Paris. Membership is open to veterans of World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. and the Audie Murphy Chapter of the Purple Heart. That still wasn't enough. He's spent countless hours as a volunteer at the Sepulveda VA helping veterans, and was honored a few years ago by the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . for his work in the
Devonshire Area Neighborhood Watch program.
But all this service pales to this trip he's packing for to take care of some unfinished business. "It means so much to go back to where my buddies and I fought. To be able to kneel and say that prayer to them I've been waiting 65 years to say." Pfc. Pete Howenstein, United States Army United States Army Major branch of the U.S. military forces, charged with preserving peace and security and defending the nation. The first regular U.S. fighting force, the Continental Army, was organized by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, to supplement local . The face of Memorial Day 2009. dennis.mccarthy@dailynews.com, 818-713-3749 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Pete Howenstein is taking a journey back to Normandy that has been 65 years in the making. He plans to kneel and say a prayer for his fallen buddies from World War II. Evan YeeStaff Photographer |
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