Sunday, May 29, 2005
Lionel Cantin
The only soldier I know about who died was my stepfather Harvey and Rudy's brother, Lionel Cantin. All that I heard was that he died at Anzio, Italy.
During the four months of the Anzio Campaign the Allied VI Corps suffered over 29,200 combat casualties (4,400 killed, 18,000 wounded, 6,800 prisoners or missing) and 37,000 noncombat casualties. Two-thirds of these losses were inflicted between the initial landings and the end of the German counteroffensive on 4 March. Of the combat casualties, 16,200 were Americans (2,800 killed, 11,000 wounded, 2,400 prisoners or missing) as were 26,000 of the Allied noncombat casualties.
I only saw a small black and white photo of Lionel that Harvey kept in his wallet. His mother, Corine, was a 'gold star' mother, but she did not display her gold star or Lionel's flag. The gold star was given to mothers to display in their front windows their sacrifice of a dead child. Corine had a photo portrait of each of her three sons in their military uniforms hanging in the hall in her house. That hall also had the swamp cooler in the ceiling, so it was a cool place to lay on the hardwood floor and read books in sweltering central California summers. I was reading Black Beauty one summer on a three day visit to Maman Cantin, and I remember looking at the pictures on the wall and laying on the floor reading.
I remember in the house in San Leandro Harvey's bedroom had a dresser with about 15 or 20 small framed photographs that showed his family - mother, brothers, children and grandchildren, and his beloved dogs. When the nest emptied in this house, Harvey moved into my old bedroom (throughput to the kitchen) while my mother Joan stayed in the 'master' bedroom. Joan did not display photographs in her room, buta few small porceline 'lavendar' bottles and jars and figurines of cocker spaniels.
My thoughts of Lionel are mixed up with hardwood floors, Black Beauty, portraits, framed photographs, a folded flag, a gold star and some lavendar jars. The photo was of a black haired uniformed man, head cocked, with a black mustache, leaning on his rifle stuck like a cane in the sand at his feet.
Frank Plummer, my step grandfather, served in both World War I and II. He was injured by mustard gas in training for WWI and he had weak lungs all the rest of his life. He often suffered from intense chest colds and emphysema later in his life.
He liked to tell the story of the time in basic training for WWII. He was a grown man in his thirties who worked in ornamental steel when he was drafted. He said he had a drill sergeant who was a real 'bastard'. He lined up the 'raw' platoon in the hot desert right before noon and ordered them to hold their rifles at arms length in front of them. He then proceeded to bawl out every person who dropped their arms and their rifles.
My grandfather held out a long time. The drill sergeant yelled and yelled at him as he was the last man standing after 3 hours in the hot sun. He did not drop his arms. He stood there until the sun set and the drill sergeant ordered him to stand down and go and eat. He earn a lot of respect from his fellow troops and from the drill persons. He was never messed with again as an old 'geezer', as the older drafted men were called. Just as he was called for duty overseas, the war ended. So in both cases, he never left the continent to serve.
Jack McCarty, my brother-in-law, is married to my older sister Judy. He joined the Coast Guard and served off the coast of California in the late fifties and early sixties. He loves boats and now is retired and frequently boats on the Sacramento River. Randy Rustin lives with me. He is a friend of my son, originally from San Ramon, CA. He helps around the house in exchange for room and board. He served as a fireman on naval aircraft carriers during the 1980s, stationed in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
I would like to thank Frank Plummer, Lionel Cantin, Jack McCarty, and roommate Randy Rustin for saying yes to their country and serving in the armed forces. I appreciate your sacrifice and service.
During the four months of the Anzio Campaign the Allied VI Corps suffered over 29,200 combat casualties (4,400 killed, 18,000 wounded, 6,800 prisoners or missing) and 37,000 noncombat casualties. Two-thirds of these losses were inflicted between the initial landings and the end of the German counteroffensive on 4 March. Of the combat casualties, 16,200 were Americans (2,800 killed, 11,000 wounded, 2,400 prisoners or missing) as were 26,000 of the Allied noncombat casualties.
I only saw a small black and white photo of Lionel that Harvey kept in his wallet. His mother, Corine, was a 'gold star' mother, but she did not display her gold star or Lionel's flag. The gold star was given to mothers to display in their front windows their sacrifice of a dead child. Corine had a photo portrait of each of her three sons in their military uniforms hanging in the hall in her house. That hall also had the swamp cooler in the ceiling, so it was a cool place to lay on the hardwood floor and read books in sweltering central California summers. I was reading Black Beauty one summer on a three day visit to Maman Cantin, and I remember looking at the pictures on the wall and laying on the floor reading.
I remember in the house in San Leandro Harvey's bedroom had a dresser with about 15 or 20 small framed photographs that showed his family - mother, brothers, children and grandchildren, and his beloved dogs. When the nest emptied in this house, Harvey moved into my old bedroom (throughput to the kitchen) while my mother Joan stayed in the 'master' bedroom. Joan did not display photographs in her room, buta few small porceline 'lavendar' bottles and jars and figurines of cocker spaniels.
My thoughts of Lionel are mixed up with hardwood floors, Black Beauty, portraits, framed photographs, a folded flag, a gold star and some lavendar jars. The photo was of a black haired uniformed man, head cocked, with a black mustache, leaning on his rifle stuck like a cane in the sand at his feet.
Frank Plummer, my step grandfather, served in both World War I and II. He was injured by mustard gas in training for WWI and he had weak lungs all the rest of his life. He often suffered from intense chest colds and emphysema later in his life.
He liked to tell the story of the time in basic training for WWII. He was a grown man in his thirties who worked in ornamental steel when he was drafted. He said he had a drill sergeant who was a real 'bastard'. He lined up the 'raw' platoon in the hot desert right before noon and ordered them to hold their rifles at arms length in front of them. He then proceeded to bawl out every person who dropped their arms and their rifles.
My grandfather held out a long time. The drill sergeant yelled and yelled at him as he was the last man standing after 3 hours in the hot sun. He did not drop his arms. He stood there until the sun set and the drill sergeant ordered him to stand down and go and eat. He earn a lot of respect from his fellow troops and from the drill persons. He was never messed with again as an old 'geezer', as the older drafted men were called. Just as he was called for duty overseas, the war ended. So in both cases, he never left the continent to serve.
Jack McCarty, my brother-in-law, is married to my older sister Judy. He joined the Coast Guard and served off the coast of California in the late fifties and early sixties. He loves boats and now is retired and frequently boats on the Sacramento River. Randy Rustin lives with me. He is a friend of my son, originally from San Ramon, CA. He helps around the house in exchange for room and board. He served as a fireman on naval aircraft carriers during the 1980s, stationed in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
I would like to thank Frank Plummer, Lionel Cantin, Jack McCarty, and roommate Randy Rustin for saying yes to their country and serving in the armed forces. I appreciate your sacrifice and service.
# posted by Dornar @ 9:59 AM 
