GERONIMO'S MEDICS

GERONIMO'S MEDICS 
by Dale Booth 

This book has been written by Dale who lives & works in Normandy as a Battlefield Guide.
The proceeds of this book go towards the charity that cares for the church & monuments in the village where the story takes place.

This is a short book of 100+ pages and is not a military history of what took place here on D-Day, though the author does recommend some in his introduction. 

This book is a story of two American medics who parachuted into France in the early hours of D-Day. 
These medics were unarmed and in Robert Wright & Kenneth More, were such young men being just 20 & 19 years old.

They were dropped approximately 5 miles inland from Utah beach with over 13,000 fellow American parachutists. Their objectives were to secure the village of Saint-Come-Du-Mont & a nearby bridge.
Our two medics landed safely & separately arrived at the village of Angoville-au-Plain. This small village of stone cottages & farmhouses had just 83 residents. The 12th century church was chosen as an ideal building to act as a first aid station.

It is worth pointing out that these medics were not doctors. They were sent in the field to mostly stop bleeding, give morphine & dress bandages.

On setting up, Robert & Ken agreed that they would treat any soldier, from either side, with the same amount of care.
As the battle closed in around them the church steadily filled with both American & German casualties. Many were in dire need of medical assistance beyond what these medics could treat. Some would sadly not survive their injuries. 
As the village changed hands the church was known by both sides to be full of casualties. 
One German officer who entered the church aggressively, would later thank them after seeing that they were also treating his own soldiers.
As the Battle went into a second day, the medical supplies were starting to run low. This now blood soaked church would eventually be liberated on the second afternoon. Neither medic had stopped or slept during the whole time. Both would be awarded the Silver Star Medal for their outstanding endeavours.

Again this review is just to wet your appetite. I had not heard of this story before, yet it is another remarkable tale to share at the time of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

I will finish by introducing Genevieve. She was just 9-years-old on D-Day. Now aged almost 90, she still lives in the village & this remarkable woman opens, cleans and locks the church up all 365 days of the year.
Hopefully you can see why I thought it was worth bringing this book to your attention. Such a little village, whose charity is surely deserving of some much needed finances to keep the great work going.

I thank the publisher Sabrestorm Books for sending me this copy to help spread the word. The book can be ordered on their website.
I hope you will kindly share & repost the link on X to help them.


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