D-Day recount becomes personal for CAP cadets

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Raymond F. Padgett
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The classroom was hot and packed when Florida Civil Air Patrol Unit FL-209 Group 4 began their weekly Wednesday night meeting. The cadet's eyes were focused on the thirteen rows of ribbons on the guest speaker's Air Force uniform.

Sixty-two years and one day earlier, retired Chief Master Sgt. Richard A. Ortega was a nineteen-year-old private in the 29th Infantry Division on the first American assault wave at the beaches of Normandy, France, remembered forever as "D-Day."

The CAP unit receives volunteer support from the Air Force Reserve's 920th Rescue Wing. Senior Airman Joshua Sherman, a life support journeyman with the 39th Rescue Squadron, supports the unit housed in the youth center at Patrick Air Force Base.

Chief Ortega, a veteran of three wars and a retired educator, now serves as the Vice President for Aerospace Education for the Air Force Association of Florida. He performs many speaking engagements for the CAP and Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps units.

"These are our future leaders of aerospace forces," he said. "If we do not teach them what we have learned, then our future will be in bad shape."

Chief Ortega began his briefing by explaining there were actually two separate operations to invade the coast of France beginning the evening of June 5. "Everyone knows about Operation Overlord, but how many of you know about Operation Neptune?" he asked the group.

After a brief lesson on the troop size of divisions, regiments, battalions and companies, Chief Ortega unfolded several charts and maps before describing the day's events as they unfolded in front of his eyes. The cadets hung onto his every word.

He starts with the 0500 hour takeoff of approximately 1500 allied bombers to bomb bridges and fortifications, an hour and a half before the main invasion.

At 0600 hours, Navy ships approximately 10 miles out began a bombardment to take out German heavy gun batteries and a multitude of machine gun pillboxes.

A wave of close air support came at 0625 hours dropping 250 and 500 pound bombs on the 150 yards of sand exposed by the low tide on Omaha Beach.

The craters would be used as foxholes by the assaulting force. Chief Ortega described watching as the last bomber dropped smoke bombs in an attempt to mask the arrival of the assault force.

The first wave of the 29th Division made their initial assault at 0630 hours. Not many of the landing craft from Companies A, B or C made it to the beach, Chief Ortega recalled.

He was assigned to a rifle platoon in Company E. As their landing craft approached the shore, a rocket blew off the arm of a Navy Chief Petty Officer who was driving the craft.