Victory Remembered, Legacy of the Black Devils (Original Feature Film) directed by Les Owen

We came here in 1944 not as conquerors but as liberators of the people of France who were oppressed and under the rule of the Nazi army. We came as France and we remain friends. It has been 70 years since the end of World War II. Some of the soldiers who survived that war are still with us today, most of them are over 90 years old and struggling with the challenges that a long life awaits them. Some refused to break eye contact with Father Time and are determined to stare at him. My goal is to achieve. 100 years and still being able to do 100 push-ups for all those years since the war, they have gone through their lives and most of us never know much or anything about what these men saw or personally experienced during the war, it's hard to imagine.

These gentle older men fight in life-or-death combat under harsh physical conditions, but for former members of the 1st Special Service Force, a group of highly trained and conditioned elite soldiers, no unit was more successful or effective in terrify and eliminate. Facing the enemy in 1942, they became the first combined Canadian and American combat unit and, because of their nitrate-

black

ened faces and high mortality rate, the Germans referred to them as the Black Devils. Today, the first Special Service Forces Association composed primarily of veterans and family members. organizes trips back to the battlefields of Europe where the

black

demons fought to free those people in the name of veterans' freedom.

The trips are an opportunity to retrace the steps of your wartime memories and visit the graves of your fallen friends and family. They will visit the place where their ancestors fought and perhaps died; some will go hoping to find answers to lifelong questions about the events that happened there and that shaped these men for the rest of their lives. The

legacy

of the black demons spans across generations and effects on the world. and the lives they rescued years ago continue today and into the future. So who were these unusual men who volunteered for such a dangerous mission?

How and why was this unique unit created? We have to return to the dark days of the At the beginning of the Second World War, discover that Britain was unprepared when in 1939 Adolf Hitler launched his blitzkrieg and Germany's war in Europe began, most of Britain's military leaders They were mainly concerned about the possibility of Germany landing on British soil and at first focused on a defensive war plan. However, Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared before the House of Commons on June 4, 1940 that with a defensive war we should get to work immediately to organize autonomous and fully equipped qualification units;

These carefully selected commando units conducting guerrilla warfare would inflict the brunt of the war. Although requiring less manpower and worrying a much larger number of enemies, this approach proved successful, but as the war grew greater resources were needed. and the British turned to Canada and the United States to create a combined commando unit. That unit would become the first. Special Service Force, which would later be known as the Black Devils, the Allies planned a secret mission into German-occupied Norway with the intention of destroying the heavy water power plants that Germany needed to develop nuclear weapons, named after code was the plow project.

The winter mission would be carried out. by this yet-to-be-formed American commando unit, the feasibility of such a mission worried many in the United States War Office. The officer assigned to evaluate the feasibility of the project was Lieutenant Colonel Robert T. Frederick. Her assessment of him was scathing. In short, he considered it a Suicide Mission, however, Churchill's insistence and General Eisenhower's commitment to supporting the plan meant that preparations had to begin immediately and ironically in light of his intimate knowledge of why it would not work. Ultimately, Lieutenant Colonel Frederick was chosen as the right man to command the unit.

It was time for Frederick to organize and train the unit he would first call the Special Service Force; However, there would be the challenge of recruiting and selecting the soldiers needed for this super commando force. I joined the active military in 1940. I served in the Embassy. regiment until 1942 I was with the village regiment and when we began our advanced training we were transferred to a place called Belk Archy Quebec which was in the heart of French Canada. I joined what was called the Army Air Corps and was stationed at Brooks Field San Antonio and eventually completed the basic parachute packing course.

Oh, and on the notice board one day this message appeared about joining the force and volunteering for the force. The selection guide was to recruit young and strong volunteers who were resilient, independent, aggressive and self-educated. dependent and could face harsh physical conditions and endure hostile environments and not only survive but thrive. I think on board eighty percent of the people in the regiment signed up to get out of the ELQ Archie and unfortunately for them they didn't make it there. only three of us left in June 1942. They called me into the base personnel office and said there was a vacancy, I can't tell you where or I'm worried it's going to be, but they are looking for parachute riggers to be forceful.

I signed up to go to war and it looked to me or it seemed to me that if I stayed in the middle regime and I would never make it to war and here I had the opportunity to do what I wanted to do, so I volunteered for this special unit and boy, I went to war, in addition to recruiting soldiers, Colonel Frederick also needed a camp that could accommodate mountainous winter warfare and parachute training in a remote area of ​​Montana, far from the public eye. Colonel Frederick found his training center and chose Fort William Henry Harrison, near Helena.

Located in the shadow of the Continental Divide, Montana's beauty of the natural environment has always attracted nature lovers, but in 1942 Colonel Frederick considered the rocky mountainous terrain and cold winter climate ideal training conditions for the secret mission to Norway once the decision was made and operations began. redesign Fort William Henry Harrison and start taking soldiers there to train on a cold burning train for seven days and nights and boy, did we look cool getting off that train. The first troops of the Special Service Force were organized into regiments, battalions, companies and platoons each. The soldier was identified by his name and the numbers of his company and regiment.

We had to sleep in tents for about two or three months while the camp was going on. Colonel Frederick insisted that Canadian and American soldiers be fully integrated to create cohesion. It was needed for this single unit, so they put me on 110. I walked there. There was a guy there. You know he was from San Jose, but we became good friends. We all go through training. Well, we didn't know what we were getting. in you when I joined the force I was 18 or 19 something like that I wasn't in that bad shape then my whole world changed when they came to Helena with the accelerated schedule they had to follow in order to prepare for their initial jump mission to Norway, physical conditioning was one of the key elements, the training was hard, hard and fast, one of the notable landmarks of Fort Harrison that the force will certainly remember is the mountain of muscles and I'm not sure. the force speaks kindly of that, you run one way and go down the other and all the things were put there and when you were done you knew you were on to something, characteristics that almost every Forsman will tell you contributed to.

The most important thing for their survival was the training, the extensive training they received and secondly but most importantly was the conditioning, there was no one they faced as well conditioned as forced labor, that kind of thing has a way to develop a camaraderie that you don't get. In normal life we ​​learned through our training and it was quite difficult to respect each other. Now we're standing at Marshall Field, the drop zone at Fort Harrison, so your airborne training took place right here, with harnesses that jumped out of a mock-up one day. The next day and the third day they left the plane and at that time and with the acceleration of the training, if you didn't go out the door on your first jump then they would send you home and we would start to do well and climb. and then to get demolitions we had to learn unarmed combat, we had to learn to ski, we didn't fly all of Montana, but we tried some things that weren't supposed to fly, we started our training and ended with After the Jumps and something of mountain climbing and a few other things just for conditioning, we usually did 325 mile route hikes a week, but in six months we were brutally trained to do the work during the time we finished our training.

It didn't matter if you were Canadian or American, everyone was working together training together for the mission in the midst of all this preparation, however, unexpected news came and we suddenly discovered that what we were training for was no longer going to be the case. In fact, the enemy occupied Norway and they would take it out on the people if anything happened against their war effort, they thought there would be too much retaliation if we went in and did what we were going to do so this didn't happen: the mission to Norway was effectively scrapped. , but the training and conditioning of the first Special Service Force would soon be used elsewhere in the war on other missions equally, if not more, dangerous, despite Colonel Frederick's goal of keeping a low profile.

Special unit training soon expanded at Fort Harrison, and many of the town's young women were especially excited by the presence of so many new prospects. Oh, it was a smorgasbord that my mother and father had danced and I was one of the two who sold the tickets, so he approached the bouncer and he told her that she once went out dancing. When I walked out the door, he came and that was the beginning. He called me the next day, this beautiful Canadian soldier came and asked me to dance. I told him no, I can't dance with you.

I haven't danced with my partner yet, so after Arthur came back, he came up and asked Ritchie to dance with me and when he found out I worked on the floor, he said. I love redheads and I'll see you at noon in Pierre, so he called me and we had a date and it was in April 1943 that the first Special Service Force was finally called into action. They were a new generation of super commando soldiers trained for the most challenging and dangerous missions the new brides of which there were eventually more than 200 now faced the terrifying possibility of becoming war widows they returned home and said we were leaving we didn't know anything about the mission but we knew it was dangerous because women should not get married before we got married.

I had to go to the head of the Canadian troops to ask permission and he told me this, he said you better think this through because there are only going to be 10% of these guys that are coming back and I said it. I'm going to take advantage of my opportunity since he with the mission to Norway canceled. The Black Demons were eventually sent to confront the Japanese on Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands when The Force arrived, however the enemy had already advanced so there was no engagement. Shortly after, the Black Devils headed to Italy to take part in some of the fiercest battles in Europe during World War II.

His skills, which conditioned bravery and commitment, became legendary for many Forsmans. Those wounded in battle often reunited with their comrades to continue the fight in time, giving the force an extraordinary casualty rate of 134 percent in 2014. Black Devils veterans, along with friends of the family and members of the first Special Service Forces Association, returned to the mountain beaches. and towns in Italy and France where black demons fought and died. My name is John Hart and I am from Medicine Hat Alberta. My father was in the first Special Service Force. We're here on our sixth tour and since we started our first tour in 2008.

Meeting at the airport with these complete strangers that you've talked to, their people have never met, connections begin and it's quite strange how sons and daughters, and for the most part there are connections with each other in parallel, they have come here for the same thing. The reason they want to find where perhaps their father was first killed to see his grave. They have never been here. Appreciation, reverence andconnection they have with Forsman and with each other is what leads them on these journeys in search of answers and opportunity. to get to the Past answers to questions about the men they never met or maybe the men they did meet but I had my questions I had things I was looking for but everyone has a question many questions and the more you come here The people who join these tours and they find the answers here.

Several of the Black Devils themselves had planned to make the trip, but at the last minute health problems prevented most from traveling. Only Eugenio Gutiérrez, president of the Association, was able to represent his comrades in Italy. Together, the group would explore the battlefields where Forsman fought costly engagements. Some would visit the graves of their grandparents' uncles or parents. Some for the first time. Eugene's thoughts will take him where the rest can't go. He will remember the battles between enemy and friend. who did not make it home it was the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Rome and in honor of their visit there would be great celebrations and parades for this reason the touring group would include the flutes and drums of the black

devils

the black

devils

were revered as heroes and liberators and the celebrations began immediately after arriving in Italy, the first was a parade through the town of Manana at the foot of Mount La Difensa, the sight of the black demons was the firstThe parades of the legendary battles of World War II and an outpouring emotional of the locals would be joyful experiences for the forest family on this trip.

Town after town would open their arms to the first tour of the Special Service Forces Association. However, the organizers of the Special Forces Association tour, John Hart and Johnny Blasi, knew that the most important moments for many of the members were waiting in the fields on the beaches and in the cemeteries and in the mountains for the second company. the second regiment the 2nd regiment was the first unit on the defense the first and second companies were on the top of the mountain when the battle started, so dad was one of the The first men on the top of the mountain mount the difense received the apt name.

The Germans took advantage of their commanding view of the Liri Valley and their imposing clips turned it into a defensive bastion that protected the southern approach to Rome from the Allies despite weeks of attacks the Allies had endured. He found it impossible to remove the newspapers that the training and conditioning of the first Special Service Force was about to change that the battle for the summit of Mount La Difensa stands out as the crucible that demonstrated the character, skill and bravery of the strength beyond all doubt the fighting is fierce, the conditions are brutal and many soldiers of the force die there on the night of December 1.

They march through snow and rain and reached this point on the morning of December 1st. I think anyone in their right mind welcomed the rain because, pouring, rain their observation was poor they passed today from December 2 they just stayed out of sight of the Germans because the Germans were all on this high ground we were right below of the Germans we were all ready to go and when the air became dark and artillery attacks began around 10 p.m. To hit the enemy you can distract his attention. 64,000 rounds of powerful explosives such as phosphorus and smoke shells were used in the largest concentration of artillery fire during the entire Italian campaign.

A 4 hour bombardment. They crawled towards the mountain on the night of December 2nd. The scouts went up and set the ropes, we had some people who are mountain people and who knew what they were doing, they went up and set ropes, we climbed those ropes. I had rifle ammunition for 45 automatic with ammunition for it, the bandolier for the machine gun and the water can and almost at dawn we climbed to the top at dawn the battle began there are some different reflections of what the battle really began in the middle of the walk the guy in front of me slipped and hit my helmet knocked him down and bang bang bang down the hill from when they had Thomas so that's what started his wrist I don't believe it I don't believe it there was fog there was snow there was rain several of the men they said you couldn't see 10 feet in front of you there's nothing but solid rock up there you couldn't dig a trench even if you wanted to they had everything prepared and they had everything ready to fly for they've been there a long time it's just when the mortar started coming in, you know, you never hear the one that got you right, made my American friend play tonight.

I guess he must have hit pretty close because some of the guys said he got blown up about 15 feet away from me. lying on a stretcher just above the law and that was some kind of slit and while we were lying there and Ed Thomas jumped into the little burrow that the Germans had built and a couple of guys are in it. there and they cut him off in Pinto and his leg with a bayonet and I came to my senses a couple of times but they took us out of there and took us to the evacuation station anyway we reached the mountains monte la difensa it was just the beginning of a campaign bloody known as the winter line for the force there would be more mountains more fighting and more casualties the force entered the mountains on December 3, 1943 left the mountains on January 17, 1944 1,800 men 3 regiments of 600 each went to the mountains and less than 500 were taken out of the mountains six weeks later, the loss of life, the tragedy, we have an idea of ​​what happened there, many of the veterans who have been with us have been there and say few things but They don't say much I was working on the power block Western Union was down when the telegrams arrived.

I fully feel now when most telegrams would begin to end with that first person, the first woman and me. I don't remember her name, but when she received the telegram, her husband was murdered, we were all. I think we all just wait for the job. Yes, when you get to the top, sit in the shade, look around and slowly. We will all climb together the members of the Association had greatly anticipated this part of the visit and were prepared for the tough climb to the top of Mount La Difensa. Most would make the more gradual climb on what is known as a German side of the mountain. that a small group planned to climb the treacherous attack route to gain an even greater insight into what the Black Devils had experienced.

Our own set of challenges, although not as severe as the guys before us. I need to remember what my grandfather Can you listen to stories and the stories are very emotional? But once you go and see the cliffs in front of you, he gives us a sense of what they did for us, for our generations and future generations. My dad. he was a member of the force in the first headquarters regiment and would have been part of that reserve group that was on the mountain at and 43, so this morning we are going up the mountain, what a day this will be. earn the right to play my flute remember the first Special Service Force and their families and this is nothing compared to what they do you did as the main group approached the summit they were greeted by a friend from the first Special Service Force We are commemorating the brave soldiers of the Special Service Force.

I am proud to wear their uniforms as I begin as a collector. As a child I met this wonderful family and now somehow we make a collection and remember the force of physical justice on the other side, that's what they were doing, whether they were showing respect, wanting to connect or searching for answers , they all had personal reasons for making the promotion. The first regiment was at the end of this path and they were hit particularly hard, it was very open, the Germans had sighted there on the other side of the path. Valley, they could hit this with everything they had, you're here for your uncle and we're going to take you to that particular place where all this happened and I came as soon as I heard we were going to get the chance.

To climb La Défense I absolutely knew that was the place where Evan needed to be and he needed to be there for a couple of reasons. Evan was born with a condition called agenesis of the corpus callosum, so he hasn't been placed anywhere. particular syndrome, he also has a variety of other anomalies at birth, so that has left Evan even though he is 24 years old, his development is probably around nine or ten months, so he requires full attention and cannot . walk alone also the Germans were defending a Nazi doctrine and part of that doctrine had not had a place for Evan when we visited that museum in Italy and we saw the information about the extermination camps that the Nazis had one of the if not the first panel in that museum discussed the Nazi view on people with special needs and disabilities Evon would not have had a life under the Third Reich he was disposable meant nothing his life meant nothing so raising him to mount la difensa For me it was very symbolic, the number one, he paid tribute to the men of the force who lost their lives there and the men who survived the battle to drive the Germans off that mountain and the force was good at fighting those battles and leading the Germans. the Germans out of their holes, but that doctrine is something that each of us needs to fight for and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves and show that every person has value despite the disabilities they may have, so when I brought to Evan to the top of Mount LA difense, that's exactly what I was thinking, he needed to be there almost more than the rest of us needed to be there to show what is possible with a disabled person and to show the Germans how wrong they were after the main The group had reached the top some of the members, including 92-year-old Eugene Gutierrez, ventured below the cliff to see it firsthand.

The Scout said that he wanted to go exploring. He climbed out of the dead corner without ropes and the route, the main route. He was right here in the Indus Valley because this whole area was completely hidden from German sight that the Explorer agreed to work on, so they found a really safe way. What is this? Now tell me again. This is the top of our American radio. battery I mean we just found it on the ground yeah well it's still in good condition after 70 years because it's made by Allah I mean put that in your museum.

I have a complete one, you can bring it to me as a souvenir. Luciano Buchi as a renowned. expert in black demons and he and his colleagues have been collecting relics from the mountain battlefields for years. His extensive collection led to the creation of the Winter Line Museum in the nearby town of Venafro and is largely dedicated to the first Special Service Force. the relics everywhere yes, because it was not easy to get to this area many people came here after the world to collect we are down here where the first Scouts climbed the cliff so you want us to meet you at the top now Eugene says bring a bit of rope everyone took into account, yes we started earlier so we think you'll need it.

Congratulations, who was looking for you after we climbed that mountain, we got over the last Knoll before going down to the top, we heard the pipe, so tears immediately came. you needed to hear those flutes in those mountains the

legacy

of strength could be seen and heard that day at the top of the defense the climb had given loved ones the opportunity to connect with the lives of those soldiers in a personal way some people were beginning to understand and find answers for the first time to fulfill the lives of Americans and Canadians today in freedom and perceive the happiness of the citizens of the USA.

Canada and Italy the first Special Service Force would spend months fighting in the wintering mountains liberating towns and pushing the Germans north, two members of the Force family and Berry Pickin and Lin Pears Naimark share a unique bond. His parents died in the same battle. The girls were very young and do not remember their parents. This visit would take both women north. battlefield where his parents died and you first met your sister, yes we really are, it's just amazing our similarities and our friend NAT is suspicious, yes, this is where we think it happened with the initial explosion, Allen, let's get them up there and get a picture, we will walk to those areas, that's good, yes my company helped take that, the most important thing was not just the enemy resistance, but the weather, snow, sleet and rain, all in 24 hours.

Period and cold, very cold. I lost a lot of friends there, but we wiped them out, that's all I can say. We lost many of our brave soldiers here. American and Canadian blood has been spilled and I hope we keep it that way. honor them and recognize the sacrifice they made for each of us here present, this is our heritage however you look at it as an American, as a Canadian, as an Italian, for those who come from afar.For those of us who live here this place is sacred because it teaches us what we should not have done there must be another way there must be a better way mccartey Sergeant 1:1 McNally Sergeant 6-3 Michael's private 5/3 Mills t-43 one Nelson headquarters private Palmer sergeant three a captain Harry - three here is the major in Philips sergeant 5:1 combat sergeant for a staff when that time the first Special Service Force was badly hit there were many dead and wounded, but we had done the job that Como had asked us to do, we had taken a big fence on some other mountains that the enemy had controlled and we drove them off the mountain so that the road north into Rome from Naples, highways six and seven essentially was more or less open to what had been before the attack on the mountain these are men of whom we know photographs stories families situations and how we lost them so we returned to the men we know young captain Perry gave his life for Canada and for democracy but above all he gave me EV to me and he gave us to our three children and our six grandchildren so that they will not forget him.

The allies are chosen to carry out an invasion in the area of ​​Natonal and Anzio and try to cut off the enemy retreat coming from Italy towards Rome. At work, the enemy had several regiments around Florence in Italy, which was north of Rome, they trapped the Allied force on the beachhead and were unable to get out. They needed help at the Anzio beachhead. We stayed there for 99 days when we fought the Germans nine days ago, living on land is quite an experience, so we were very spread out everywhere, but we carried a very heavy load there, there was more action, I think in our quadrant or in our area, the other divisions, it doesn't matter, they did something. damage, they had a lot of guns, big guns when they had a big gun that was mounted on the railroad, they would take it out, use it and then put the big artillery piece back in a cave to protect it from the bomber planes and that's where the name Angelo and he came they aimed at the country houses because they knew that's where we would cover it and the company headquarters was located in a fire mostly they blew it up, they left us unconscious.

I have been told that he was one of the last people who came out and came out in the middle of the bottle fire, we jumped out the window. That gun is now in the United States completely recovered, completely rebuilt and it's huge. It's weird that we can make machines it gave us a hard time my service here I was in England about a mile and a half away like the beach area the The sector that we were responsible for began along the edge of the water which was protective planks II in case the Germans got into the water and came behind our lines during the wave we left the front line area to get some sleep because we were on duty all the time. the night with blackened faces it was their night raids on Anzio that earned the first Special Service Force the Nickname the Black Devils given to them by the enemy in the mountains, it was mainly their conditioning that led them to

victory

at Anzio In the darkness, it was his stealth and lethal hand-to-hand killing ability that struck fear into the enemy he encountered.

Anzio, where Colonel Frederick created stickers saying in German that the worst is yet to come and the black demons stuck them on the helmets of their slain enemies for their comrades to find them the next morning, their tactics and mortality rate were so effective that the Germans greatly overestimated their numbers and withdrew their lines and Hitler ordered that none of the Allied commandos be captured only he was killed after 99 days the time came for the breakout and the final push to liberate Rome the breakout from Anzio began weeks of costly fights with stiff German resistance As the black demons advanced towards Rome, all the granaries and crosses in the villages were guarded by machine guns and 88-millimeter cannons headed towards Rome.

We passed through several villages that we then expelled the enemy from a very important day, today frozen over him, which was liberated. Exactly 70 years ago the liberation was celebrated, it is something that the city and the community have never forgotten. Yes, this is a great day for the Republic of Italy, so I would like to congratulate you for continuing to fight for democracy because that is how human beings want. to experience freedom When the Allies finally reached Rome on June 4, 1944, the first Special Service Force was tasked with capturing seven bridges in the city to prevent their demolition by the retreating Germans, making them in the first allied unit to enter the Eternal City. my company was given the task of capturing six or seven bridges so make sure the generous one didn't blow them up well we went to take the bridge so we founded the bridge a few machine gunners among them were armed the bridges were armored but we got there pretty quickly and some cyclists behind laughed, giving us a hard time after we captured the bridges, basically the battle for Rome was over and everyone was gone, they had gone north and west, the reception of the Italian people . when we arrived it was like welcoming us home they had more wine gin shows you stick out they must have been saving it for years because suddenly it seemed like they treated us very well and they couldn't feed us much they aren't very much to feed but they gave us a lot of hugs and white kisses and welcomed some of us on June 4, 2014, 70 years to the day the first Special Service Forces Association crossed those same bridges with the liberation of Rome.

There was a break in action for the Black Devils in Italy and a much needed R&R on the outskirts of Rome, on the shore of Lake Albano, the site of the Pope's Summer Palace, the Black Devils camped for a short time while They were recovering from months of battle and waiting. Your next task, boy, what a place, uh, wonderful lake, it was a real vacation spot and we thought it was the ideal place for us, so we enjoyed it and this is where we had a little sadness, General Frederick, because we are leaving until the first special.

Command of the Service Force and with a bigger and better command, he was a very good leader, but the officers respected him and he was very respectful to his troops. It was a sad day when we lost General Frederick because he was a son of a gun. leader, he was the best general or officer we had, right? I think that in the Second World War he would not ask you to do anything that he himself would not do, it was good to serve under a man like that, let's say it. Thus, for the Forsman families who were buried on foreign soil, very few have been able to visit their loved ones to say goodbye in a way that is meaningful to them.

His loss and pain seem unfinished. Lynn Pierce Naimark never met the father she fought. and she died in the mountains of Italy and this was her first visit to her grave to say hello and say goodbye and see the names on the stones, the people you trained with, worked with, lived with, and fought with. It's a shocking day. I can visualize the members that are there, that were killed in action and that were close to me, well it's a sad moment for me too that they were taken away and I try to remember them and keep them in my prayers a lot, that's funny.

No, I'm not usually like that, they don't usually get sentimental. I guess that's the right word, but it's very heartbreaking to read on the stone the name of who you were drinking with yesterday, so to speak, an aspect of being a combined US-Canadian military unit that forced members and families have found emotionally unresolved is that the two countries have separate cemeteries in Europe one of someone in the unit was murdered if he was Canadian he was sent to the Commonwealth cemetery if he is American he went to Natuna to the American Cemetery and you wouldn't believe how that affected a lot of people saying here we have been, I was together for two years and we are like a group, someone said, the band of brothers, well, if you want them, there was a band of brothers something like sorry, I can't talk much about that, I It bothers me a little, it hasn't bothered me in years, but now it bothers me a little in a way that was nice to see. that your friend who had given his life for the country well, there would be a meeting with the United States it did not matter here is a man who volunteered to fight for his country and they had lost their lives and at least his country had buried him properly and that's important, replacements are almost as valuable as gold, they were hard to come by, they took him back to southern Italy and back to training to train replacements, looking for more replacements.

I first joined the force from the dairy farm and they took the Santa. María, they culminate with the company that is outside of Caserta, it was a training session. I was overseas before the first Bicycle Service Force arrived before they arrived in Italy and I was with the 3rd Ranger Battalion before the attack troops. I was always the attack that drove people. What happened but I wondered how these guys got other jobs but I was always there well I didn't know anything about the training the force had in Helena I know we had rigorous training in Santa Maria or 4-stroke marches constantly constant and practical at that time we were the ones Yankee newcomers but they treated us as equals they were great some of us received orders to go attack a couple of islands now the secret came to light on the night of August 14 the first Special Service force landed on the beaches of Port Cross and Levante to destroy enemy defenses on both islands simultaneously.

The French commandos landed north of these islands. The small beach is where the first reinforcements arrived. On the other side of the onion is the landing beach, as well as we can see the first fort and then we made the invasion of the south of France. We continue in rubber boats with destroyers. First one said that the Navy was not very friendly, they did not take us within a thousand meters of the coast, so we had to row. The rest of the way, the force experienced casualties at Port Crow as they began their assault on the Germans.

The Cymer Milles team became a replacement in the first Special Service Force due to those casualties within hours of the capture of the Hero Islands by the Black Devils of the main force composed of the divisions of the 7th army landed on the mainland, The demons joined them there and found themselves once again under the command of their

original

leader, Major General Robert Frederick, who at the age of 37 was the youngest division commander in Europe. The beginning of what became known as champagne, the can of champagne obtained was from Marseille to Benton, including Monte Carlo, these crosses and all those cities and pres.

The tour group began its visit in France on June 6, 2014, the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings, its escort that day was a group of World War II army reenactors in vintage vehicles. They paid special tribute to the black demons by wearing their unit insignia. The commemorative celebrations of the spearhead and buried artifacts were ahead as the escort led the way into the mountains. The First Regiment's alcohol sneaks into their Monte, okay Philip, still their Greek is this outpost that Super Stretch just showed us where we're not supposed to be buried behind these trees, yeah, okay, well, it wasn't a tweet anyway, here are some of the things that the Russians canceled the Russians maybe, but when you are among a battery, with great emotion we welcome today those who would endanger a youth that comes from so far to free those deprived of any basic freedom in our country, not all of the tourist group's destinations were marked.

Along with parades, dinners or ceremonies hidden in the busy center of the coastal city of Nice was a small garden dedicated to the memory of the first Special Service Force. The placing of this family marker, as well as many others, was due primarily to the efforts of one man, another man right here is a legend to many of us and we are here to meet Raymond and this is a very special day, many thank you, history has brought us here, coming here has made us friends, we wish to continue what smelly Nan started, this is Delano to continue, make it quick because I am 93 years old.

An incident occurred where nineteen forces passed through the area and were coming through the air. They were carrying some of them dead back to Dryden and for burial. He is standing in the front yard with his wife, his mother and his father, himself and an American orgy. He could have been Canadian. No. We have gone. Hello, we arrived in a jeep and it had boxes of K rations in the back and he says to Raymond. Hello, you speak English, can you speak? Yes, I talk a little. Raymond greets mom and he said, well, take one of these and he took this box of K rations and threw it on the ground and kept his family alive for the next two weeks.

I'm ISA and I was there to join the Americans. I am American. All of this is the most frustrating emotion that Raymond has had to face with hisgratitude and has tried to satisfy that by building these monuments, these plaques all over this area, these people don't Don't forget Francois Hollande, the president of France, said yesterday that the French will never forget and they, and believe me, they will never forget. Thank you, in Maya, it is a bond that has developed with Forsman if your Forsman enforces the intangible strings they hold. It is difficult to describe them together.

I cannot describe the uniqueness of the force, as explained before. There was a bond as close as a unit. We train together. We fight together. In a short period of time, 29 months, you realized that it was very short in your life, you know very well, but you really did it and you achieved it together, it was the backbone of strength, we were two people from two countries different under one command and how they came together and did an extraordinary job and the comrades just felt like they didn't. You don't have to look who was where they knew the right and left flank that we were protecting, you didn't worry, you just kept going and the other guy did the same, the guy would get hurt or injured and would have to be rescued or had to be saved or had to be saved. do something with it, just don't leave it out there.

I know the guys that went out and brought them back. You know they didn't have to do it, but they did and I should have said. They didn't have to do it they had to do it that was your friend you have to go find him in mid-November around 1944 we entered the city and set up our communication system just below the basement of the post office we were there for a few days and then, One of the days, you girls came to visit what we were doing and took a photo of us. The mayor of Pei City was sent a copy of this photograph and was conducting research in hopes of doing so. locate them, so I'm looking forward to seeing if we can meet again and I have this photo I want to show you. they were with us, they came to see us when we were, yes, resolving some rain here quantum.com windows vocal note very first incision anniversary no release are you ready Nagi says I don't care even-tempered emotion know so bon jovi levator an Adidas and in the laboratory the purpose is she the cost of our service we want to thank you for this beautiful place that you have created in our honor of my brothers who fell here in the mountains of Pei, who shed American and Canadian blood for the freedom of the people, we came here in 1944 not as conquerors but as liberators of the people of France who were oppressed and under the rule of the Nazi army. arrived as France and we remained friends the reception by the people of the city of Pei was truly a hero's welcome for Psy in Eugene the affection shown by the two veterans made it clear that the sacrifice of those soldiers seventy years ago was still very loved by the whole city, both the old and the young, excited to see us, thank you, we occupied this house that was the postmaster's house and we established our communications under this floor, this is a very solid foundation, a solid roof, so we made sure that we had good protection in case of any bombing to protect our communications with the different regiments.

Eugene's only disappointment that day was that, although the townspeople had tried to find the two women who were the girls in his photograph, they had not been successful in identifying them from an orphanage. We have a friend who will be in charge. We will do the search for them. know where not to be better the identity of thosetwo girls, but the men of the force near the value of bosco photo replacement services come souvenir from Sampada Ducati Yamaha honeymoon telephoto lenses originate in Matsumoto oopsies eventually we were getting to the point where we were lacking manpower and something that many of us were getting hurt and had We have been hurt and the bull has returned and relieved when they took us back to the beast camp and made the announcement that they were going to separate us and they did.

On December 5th they brought us all back to Villa NOLA Bay and the force was disbanded. a well-trained unit ruined us in battle, we knew he could do what we had to do, but they didn't have room for a small unit because they were talking about the Battle of the Bulge and things like that they wanted mom, dad, he wanted a lot ammunition and little human spark of my not much value the assembly unit on the plains and they announced that the force was going to be disbanded they folded the flags the flags show erosion of course and they folded them all and put them in the case and that was goodbye flags at that time we were waving the Union Jack because Ghana had no flight at that time the order was given to the Canadians to form in the colonel which we did, we will do everything we Canadians have here and the committee comes here and there are spaces here in Mullane for the Canadians who have been standing and it literally happened that some of the Americans grabbed the guy when he went to vote back in Haiti and an army said what are you? going, he says, don't go there, he said, well, they got it, he said I'm Canadian, that's how integrated they were, you didn't know if it was an American community, I love it, the Canadians said they left in style, the best .

They could my joy and they had not obeyed the Canadian orders for a long time, they brought a bunch of trucks and about the Canadians in the trucks in a hurry and some of the Americans even ran after the trucks trying to know that they did not want to see them leave, which which I appreciate very much and that was the end of the first Special Service Force when they separated, it was a very sad moment and we have all heard from many of the men that' I have relived that for us, what it must have been like to see your good friends, we follow you here and here we are today and Villeneuve Liu Bei on the last day of our tour when the farewells began and the Torah came to an end.

They returned home with a deeper understanding of what their fathers, uncles, and grandfathers had been through by force. The family had learned a lot and had become closer. Their travels had given them a better understanding of the price paid by the men of the force. Family members also knew about war. Those things around us that trigger our memory, whether it's a sound or a smell, or seeing someone's name on a tombstone or being in a particular area on a battlefield that you were on 70 years ago, will bring back memories. these veterans David would wake up at night yelling at me and hitting me he would get a good grade very sad thinking about the war that he didn't want with me many of the black demons have dealt with their memories of war throughout their lives often in silence perhaps as a way to continue protecting their loved ones from the horrors of war, even though it is difficult, they have lost friends, they have seen them die in ways we cannot imagine, but they have carried it with them and it is personal.

That they talk about something like this reminds me of a situation in the NGO unit. I think it was when one of our guys got blown up in a minefield and they took him to the company headquarters and I was supposed to go check his ID. tags and one of the things I'll never forget was I went out, I was in the dark, ID tags are normally given during the day, so I was in the dark and I was fumbling around trying to find these dark shots and everything that could give us . a mess like I gave up and then came out during the day in daylight the body was in the wrong position on the stretcher what I was feeling was the torso here there were no labels down there it was torn apart I never found it I will never find it Forget that I will never forget that it is not something easy for me.

I have the feelings you know about loss, but how else can I comfort myself? And in a situation like that, the only comfort I get is praying for themselves and hoping that they rest with the Lord and all that, there are times when I wonder why I am here that a.m. If you remember the scene in Saving Private Ryan when he was visiting the cemetery, the question that was asked was whether he was worthy of surviving and I think these men have carried that guilt of why I, why I survived. I get emotional about it and wonder how they've dealt with it for 70 years with what they went through.

Some say it's the luck of the draw, some say it was, there are many reasons for it, but those men who survived carried those memories and carried that question in their minds: was I worthy of survival? moving on with my life I did the best I could why he went and I didn't when he was sitting right behind me or right next to me I don't know we can't answer those questions I don't think they can answer those questions but I think it's something that we should respect and respect in the sense that those graves, those tombstones are the cost of our freedom when we go up these hills and see what they were compared to what happened in their souls when we can capture a little bit by being in those places we are opening an area of ​​understanding that otherwise we could not have when we were children there was not always but in unpredictable moments there were outbursts of inexplicable anger maybe rage and it was difficult and and we did not know we did not understand we were children the other day I had the honor and the privilege of climbing to the top of Mount LA Difensa and at the top I looked over the side and said now I understand and I forget about my The father is angry.

Some people had questions about why their parents were like them. Coming here has brought them closer to answering those questions they grew up with. It's been fascinating and wonderful to be with other people who are sometimes going through their own process. of mourning sometimes just honoring your father your uncle your grandfather and seeing the grandchildren and even great-grandchildren it is incredible some people come to this event and never leave as they came some come because once their father told them something and they have come to see if it really was like that some come simply because of a special religious feeling that they have by force some come because they need to reconnect now they understand what their parents went through and only through that they can carry the message better another reason The reason why I am here is because I need to learn these things and I want to talk to the vets and their families because we are all a family, we are all connected, these people became our family, they were like they were the family of the forest and you.

I know you go to a cemetery and see someone whose father is there. It's the closest they've ever been to his father and you have an excuse. You share an experience like that. There is an incredible bond that grows. You think maybe you have nothing in common. Oh my God, the next thing you know, you find out your father, his father in the same shooting and why they fought and how deeply they believed in what they were doing. It's not just history, it's also our future because we have to move forward, it's because of what they did.

We have to move on if we don't pass on this heritage, this knowledge, this awareness and what it takes to establish democracy and keep it alive and what democracy does for us in our common daily lives if we don't pass this. Most of the wealth of ideas for the new generation will be as if all those struggles and all those sacrifices that we have made are not easy to forget at all and we cannot allow ourselves to be here today to pay tribute to the first Special Service. Force and the veterans who served in this elite unit owe a debt of gratitude to the many people who helped us make this day possible.

On February 3, 2015, 42 surviving members of the force along with friends, family and members of the Association gathered in Washington DC. would travel to the U.S. Capitol Building where, after a special recognition ceremony by the Canadian government, the United States Congress would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the first Special Service Force. The crowd at the U.S. Capitol that day was the largest anyone could remember for such an event in which the United States Army Band, Pershing herself performed Frederick's Black Demons, a written march and dedicated to strength for this special occasion. Charlie Man had been selected to represent Canada in Eugene Gutierrez, the United States since the days of the Revolution, Congress has awarded gold. medals to express the people's gratitude for the desired achievements today in accordance with House Resolution 324 we will present a gold medal in honor of the first Special Service Force these men represent the fungus of fibers that is why today we award them our most high honor please join me now, in welcoming these great men to our Hall from a small unit, a grateful generation emerged, a force in its own right and, from a brief window in history, an enduring commitment to do something this force couldn't do because these men saved the free world. and now they are free to deactivate them and share their stories for years to come.

In that spirit, the United States came together under the direction of Congress and the President of the United States received a gold medal in honor of these first Special Service Forces and we present it here on this day in our Capitol on behalf of a nation proud andgrateful. Thank you, now we will present the metal right here on a truck. I am proud to have been one of the first members of the Special Service Force. I'm proud. that I have friends who are members of the force and I am proud that some of those friends and I went through hell.

I'm proud that we did the job we were assigned. These men faced incredible fear with incredible determination and that was just the beginning 100 right now, catching my breath takes me about 2 to 3 minutes for my heartbeat to return to normal, all you got, yeah, you are next.