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GEORGE MATTA STORY: 7TH NAVAL BEACH BATTALION We were coming back from France to Salcombe, England when we came through Weymouth. We were catching a ride back to Salcombe and Ensign Orton and myself were in the back end of a truck. Ensign Orton was about 6’4” and quite a large man. I had a gun in my hand which had jammed with dirt, but still had a bullet in it. Ensign Orton fell asleep on the ride and I jokingly said, “We’re gonna wake him up”! I pointed the jammed gun in the air and pulled the trigger. A shot rang out (and Ensign Orton did awaken)! He never did a thing about it—the ensign was a good guy! Why I Wear A Flag Every Day - We hit the beach in Normandy and it didn’t bother me as much as when I went back in 1994 to the cemeteries. I saw all those crosses. It was so hard for me. I started to think, I’m 72 years old and there are 19 and 20 year olds—50,000 kids that were there—not only our 3,000—but casualties that were all around. The first cemetery we started we picked up all the bodies and a bulldozer began making lines. People from the burial registration went around and put crosses every 3’-4’ and there was a place on the cross for a dog tag. Everybody had two dog tags. We were instructed to leave one on the body and put one on the cross. “It didn’t bother me then—hey guys get killed—you just pick them out of the water—it didn’t bother me then”. So many, so many, and so young! I had already been in the Navy for over a year, but many in my outfit just came out of boot camp and were only 18 or 19 years old—so many. That was it and that’s why I wear a flag everyday! It sobered me up. George Matta
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