Photo By Crista Mary Mack | AZEVILLE, France - World War II veteran and D-Day Invasion survivor Ralph Ticcioni,,...... read more read more
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UTAH BEACH, France - Ralph Ticciucci, a 93-year-old World War II veteran and survivor of the D-Day invasions, returned to the Norman coast for his second visit, 72 years later.
Ticcioni, a native of Milwaukee, Wisc, was, on June 6, 1944, a radio control operator and paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. He jumped into Normandy originally by way of C-47 Skytrain, but returned this time with assistance from the Friends of American veterans in Normandy, or AVA, a French organization that facilitates the return of veterans.
“I talked to some of the guys here from the 82nd (currently serving Soldiers), and one of the questions I heard a quite a few times was, were you scared,” said Ticcioni. “Yes of course I was scared. We all were. But once you get into the action, your adrenaline takes over, your training comes into being, and I’m just one of the lucky ones who survived.”
Ticcioni made the trip not only with help from various veterans associations but particularly with a push from his own doctor.
“I used to be his surgeon, now I’m just his friend,” Dr. Ed Smith said. “A number of years ago I operated on him and when he came back in for a check up I asked him if he had been on an honor flight in the U.S. and he had not. I helped him fill out an application, and he asked me to join him on the trip.”
Honor flights are part of a network of non-profit organizations which host and fly U.S. veterans to Washington D.C. to see the memorials dedicated to the war or conflict the individuals fought in.
“We went out together to Washington D.C. to the World War II memorial,” said Smith. “After that, he (Ticcioni) was approached by the honor flight hub in Milwaukee… and asked to receive a card from one of the school children here in Normandy. That was promoted by the AVA here in Normandy. … The AVA, in the process of sending the card, enquired about him traveling here. He was willing but needed someone to travel with him, so he gave me a call.”
Smith, himself a veteran of Operation Desert Storm and his own father a World War II veteran, marveled at the agility of Ticcioni at the age of 93.
“I can’t believe how much energy Ralph has, he has put me to shame over the trip,” he said. “It’s a great honor to be here with him, to be with someone who came here 72 years ago to do what needed to be done. It’s a wonderful honor for me.”
“Ralph has said to me more than once, when I would ask him how do you have the courage to do the things that all these guys did, he said well in my generation, we did what we were supposed to do,” said Smith. “He had this real clear idea of what it was he had to do, as did many others of that time, so they did it. So right now, to honor these guys, and to give them an experience they richly deserve, it is the right thing to do.”
During his visit to Normandy, Ticcioni returned to the many battlefields of Normandy, including participating in the D-Day anniversary commemoration in the village of Saint Mere Eglise, the first community liberated on D-Day. During his tours, he met many young Soldiers and civilians. For the youngest generation of Soldiers he met, Ticcioni had one bit of advice for survival.
“Train, train hard, you never know when you’re going to need it,” he said. “Hopefully you don’t, but just in case, train.”
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2016 18:32 |
| Story ID: | 199791 |
| Location: | UTAH BEACH, FR |
| Web Views: | 382 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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