Storming Normandy: The Valor of D-Day Soldier

 

The USA's D-Day soldier photo

"Storming Normandy: The Valor of D-Day Soldier"

One of Northern Ireland's best-kept World War II mysteries is hidden in a dark dungeon deep under a centuries-old castle.

For 80 years, the cellar walls have served as a canvas for hundreds of handwritten notes from American soldiers preparing for D-Day.
Killy moon Castle, situated outside Cookstown, was crucial to the war effort between December 1943 and February 1944.

It served as the base for the United States Army's 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

The GIs of NI

Until 1942, the British had been fighting Nazi Germany without their strongest ally.

The attack of Pearl Harbor altered everything, and the first wave of American troops to the British Isles began to arrive in 1943 and 1944.

It is believed that over 300,000 US military soldiers were deployed to Northern Ireland by the end of the war. More than 600 American soldiers were stationed at Killymoon Castle.

Many of them were members of an elite parachute unit that played a critical role in the conflict.
They spent three months in Killy moon Castle before being sent to England for final preparations for the operation to land in France, which would become known as D-Day.
153 paratroopers perished at Killy moon before the conclusion of WWII, making it a historic site.

However, the American troops who remained in the remote County Tyrone castle left their imprint in more ways than one.

Clarke Hill is a local historian who has worked to bring the story of the American GIs and Killymoon Castle to light.

"When whoever go the fort and I show them concerning its past, they combat to comprehend it," he stated.

"But there are still parts of collectibles from the past here that can be found in the castle, counting handbooks that the officers from the Joined together States had as their maps to Northern Ireland.

"Of course, there are other remarkable photographs from that era, such as the troops playing baseball in the castle's front yard.

The USA's D-Day soldiers

The USA's D-Day soldiers

Officers and senior US Armed Forces staff stayed within the castle, and many of the apartments were restored to their previous state.

The rest of the American forces lived in temporary shelters built on the castle grounds, the relics of which may still be seen today.
The castle's cellars included a jail cell, a mess area, and an armory.


Killy moon's owners have left these chambers largely intact, allowing handwritten notes left by US servicemen to endure for eight decades. Mr. Hill went on: "These stones are an amazing treasure and what is left really are a magnificent piece of history."

The cellar walls are covered with hundreds of notes scribbled in pencil by troops who lived at Killymoon during this time period.
The handwritten inscriptions contain names, dates of birth, regiment details, and caricatures.
The wall even has a pencil sketch of Adolf Hitler.

One of the names on the wall is "P.T. - Tony J. Vickery 505 Prcht. Inf, U.S. Army, Atlanta, GA".
The fascinating tale behind this moniker was discovered by Andy Glenfield, a local World War II aficionado.
"I have been to many World War Two connected sites in Northern Ireland, but I've never come across anywhere like Killymoon," he stated.

The Milk Bar Commando

"Especially when I went into that cellar lower level and seen all those names, I was absolutely flabbergasted, I couldn't believe they were all still there."Tony Vickery's name stuck out to me because he had provided so much information about himself, giving me a lot to work with while investigating his tale.

Andy discovered that Tony Vickery served in the 82nd Airborne Division's parachute battalion and was just 18 years old when he stayed at Killy moon.

He also discovered records indicating that the men in his business dubbed him "the milk bar commando" due to his fondness of milkshakes.

The Georgia native certified as a fourth-grade engineer and flew into Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Five days later, he was providing cover as the other men in his company slept when a group of Germans approached their position.
A battle broke out, and Tony Vickery was killed in combat.

He was given the Purple Heart and is buried in the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy.
'I am proud of him.'

Andy Glenfield decided to pay a visit to Tony Vickey's tomb in France after gathering information about his life.

He explained, "When we got there, our guide had a tiny silver bucket with sand from Omaha Beach, and he took the sand and smeared it into the white marble cross on Tony's name, making it shine out gold. "It was wonderful."It was quite moving to witness his last resting place after knowing so much about him, from Cookstown to Normandy."

Andy then tracked down some of Tony Vickey's relatives in America and informed them of the information he had discovered.

Media agents talked with his niece, Nancy McKendree, who is presently 80 a long time ancient and lives in the US state of Georgia.

Omaha Beach is put on the grave 

She said: "I was an newborn child when he was slaughtered, but I know that my mother remained disturbed approximately his passing all her life."She would never observe a war picture, whether on TV or in a theater, since it was as well violent."

She went on: "Until as of late I didn't know something of his title in the castle."All I had listened was that he was an armed force saint, and whereas I was dismal, I was moreover glad of what he did whereas serving.

Killymoon Castle pushed the gates to travelers and schools nearby on Sunday to celebrate D-Day, with travels, an exhibition, and displays of actual World War II relics from the location.

"Fate whispers to the warrior, 'You cannot withstand the storm.' And the warrior whispers back, 'I am the storm.'"

This quote, though not originally from the D-Day era, captures the indomitable spirit and courage of the soldiers who fought on that historic day.

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