Gettysburg’s Jason Lamoreaux Discovers New Side of World War II

Photo Courtesy: DAVID R. SINCLAIR/Gettysburg

An assignment in one of his history courses helped give Gettysburg College swimmer and history major Jason Lamoreaux ’15 a whole new perspective on the impact of World War II and the veterans that fought to preserve peace and justice.

Tasked with conducting a 90-minute oral history with someone born before 1930, Lamoreaux chose to interview his maternal grandfather, Herb Levy, a veteran of WWII. In addition to the assignment, Lamoreaux traveled with his grandfather to the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings at Normandy, also known as D-Day.

Photo Courtesy: Gettysburg Athletics

“Many students find this project to be a meaningful experience,” stated Professor Michael Birkner, who issued the assignment. “I’d say interviewing a grandparent who was involved in something as important as the Normandy invasion takes that experience up a notch.”

Lamoreaux had heard snippets about his grandfather’s experience throughout his childhood, but his assignment and subsequent trip to Normandy opened a whole new door.

“I saw a side of him I had never seen before,” said Lamoreaux. “I think he likes to conceal that and I don’t think he likes to talk about that time of his life because of the death and destruction he witnessed.”

Levy, a native of Philadelphia, had spent just one semester in college when he was drafted into the Army in 1943. He was 18 years old without a driver’s license and had never picked up a rifle. Just days after the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, he landed on Utah Beach. Levy helped dispose of the dead bodies littering the beaches before beginning his duties as a member of the Army Corps of Engineers.

For the next 18 months, Levy was charged with building bridges and airways throughout France and Europe, allowing the Allied forces to push back the Germans and eventually win the war. After more than two years in the military, he was discharged a week shy of his 21st birthday.

Seven decades later, Lamoreaux walked the same sandy pathways and streets alongside his grandfather as the world celebrated the efforts of everyone involved in the invasion.

“It was the first time he’d gone back to the actual beach,” recalled Lamoreaux. “He had been back in there area since then, but that was the first time he’d been back on that particular beach. I could see his eyes tearing up a bit. Everyone treated him like a superstar; they definitely appreciated what he did.”

Veterans and their families were invited to ceremonies and events connected to the D-Day anniversary. Many of the world’s leaders were in attendance, including Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, and Queen Elizabeth.

It was at one of these ceremonies that Lamoreaux came face-to-face with the reality that was his grandfather’s time in the war.

“At the Sword Beach ceremony, there was a presentation and a video,” said the Wayne, Pa., native. “I think it was there, seeing these heart-wrenching images in the video, that it hit me what my grandfather had gone through. He wasn’t even my age when he went through all of it. It woke me up to what he went through and it’s something he never really talked about before.”

An architect who worked at the White House during his post-war career, Levy was treated like a professional athlete by the native people according to Lamoreaux. Everywhere he went, he was met with appreciative smiles and questions about his contributions.

Some of those contributions are still being actively used today. During their trip, Lamoreaux and his grandfather came across a pair of Bailey Bridges the latter had built during the campaign. They watched as cars continued to cross the still-sturdy construction.

At the conclusion of the trip, Lamoreaux gained an entirely new perspective about both his grandfather and every veteran of World War II.

“I saw how important everybody who participated in that war really is to how the world is today,” said Lamoreaux. “If it wasn’t for them, who knows what the world would look like today.”

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworld.com.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use