|
 Capt.
Gerard A. Ruddy's Grave
located at Plot D Row 4 Grave 5 in Normandy American Cemetery, St.
Laurent-sur-Mer, France. Captain Ruddy was killed in action on D-Day,
June 6, 1944 although he is listed as having died on June 14th due to
administrative errors
He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat
Infantry Badge.
It was while standing at Capt. Ruddy's grave on June 6, 1974,
thirty years after the invasion, that O.B. Hill felt he "received a
message" from the Captain to "get the men together".
It was that impetus that caused O.B. to create the 508th PIR
Association that would live on for thirty years before its retirement at
Camp Blanding , Florida in October 2004 |
 Jean
Baptiste Feuillye
as a teenager was befriended by the 508th during WW-II and he
became a close friend to O.B. Hill after the war.
Because of that friendship Jean knew that O.B. had the
highest regard for his HQ 1st Company commander, Captain Gerard
A. Ruddy.
As a consequence, Messr. Feuillye
adopted Captain Ruddy's grave and has tended to it frequently,
placing flowers on it on D-Day anniversaries, etc.
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright Remembers Scranton Native on
Anniversary of D-Day, an interview with Dennis Ruddy |
 Young
Caretakers
The children of Mme. Karine Guilbert assist
their mother in visiting Capt Ruddy's grave as seen here on Oct 29,
2004.
Mme. Guilbert has recently become a friend of the 508th and
has sought diligently to provide local support in whatever manner she
could.
Disappointed to learn that Capt. Ruddy's grave had already been
adopted, she spoke with Messr. Feuillye who agreed to share the devotion
to Ruddy's memory.
Conceivably, these children will carry on tending the grave as
adults. |
Valerie
Gautier Cardin visited Gerard Ruddy's grave in June 2015. she
displays a photo of Gerard taken when he was a SSgt.
Valerie
lives in Pirou, Basse, Manche, France and is a stalwart admirer of the
82nd Airborne. She attended the 2014 508th reunion in Dallas and
is known to many 508th families. |
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"...
MISDROPPED!"
… I volunteered for the Paratroops in 1941 after Pearl Harbor and received
Basic Training at Camp Wolters, Texas. Then came Ft Benning,
Georgia for Parachute Training, I think it was at the end of September
1942. I then took a course in Signal and Radio Communications, and
even completed Demolition School. I got assigned to Hq Co, 1st Bn,
508th Prcht Inf Regt and was promoted to Buck Sergeant in my Company.
My first
combat jump was Normandy, D-Day 6 June 1944 – we had blackened our faces
because it was a night operation, and carried an enormous combat load,
including individual weapons, extra ammunition, explosives, and rations.
I threw my gas mask away, and filled the rubber carrier with cigarettes
and other goodies, just as others did! I dropped into a river
(Douve river), but got out of it, ruining part of my individual
equipment. Others were less lucky and drowned, sometimes even in
shallow waters … our CO, Capt. Gerard A. RUDDY was killed almost right
after hitting the ground, and Lt. McElligott took over. We managed
to regroup, after avoiding German patrols, taking cover in hedgerows or
hiding in ditches, and met other stragglers, from different units, until
we were about 55 strong, under the command of SSgt Ray Hummel.
Over the next 5 days, we lost about 14 of our men and started getting
short of ammo – but we fought on. We had no choice. When the
90th Infantry Division finally got to us, I think it was the afternoon
of June 11, we finally got relieved. I was wounded on June 13, and
was eventually evacuated to England, via Utah Beach, a few days later.
(Owen B. HILL, Sgt, Hq Co, 1st Bn, 508th
PIR, 82d ABN Div, USA, 15103774, recollections)
Source: Strictly
G.I.
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