Ralph Martire, now 90 years old, survived The Battle of Normandy to help liberate several French towns. The 70th anniversary of D-Day is June 6, 2014. Martire is shown here in his uniform as he walks down a street in Marseille, France.
Story and photos by Skyler Magnoli
The house on Summer Street in Stratford, CT is a shrine.
There is not one inch of the living room that is not covered in war memorabilia. Medals, plaques, photographs, uniforms, and guns adorn the walls. It is an ode to an army hero, who landed on Utah Beach, Normandy almost seventy years ago. Thousands of men died on that beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and in the battles that followed. Ralph Martire, now 90 years old, survived.
The walls show highlights from Martire’s life, which include his army campaigns through Europe during World War II. The most striking part of his collection is an enlarged picture of himself in uniform, with his self-proclaimed “don’t-fool-with-me face” on, as he walks down a street in Marseille, France.
“It is something that is the biggest part of his life, always,” said Martire’s daughter, Sandra Martire.
From a bloody battle to liberation
Martire is a Bridgeport, CT native, who at the age of 17 used his deceased older brother’s birth certificate to enlist in the army early. Spurred on by the events of Pearl Harbor, he says he just wanted to kill some Nazis.
This urge took him on a journey from the bloody battle at Utah Beach, to liberating multiple town throughout France. Then he went on to Germany where he and other soldiers cleared the concentration camp, Dachau.
“I was young then,” said Martire. “I wouldn’t do half the things I did, now.”
Paying tribute
The 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy will be commemorated internationally. The Basse-Normandie region will welcome those service men who landed and fought on D-Day.
This occasion will pay a tribute to all the lives, service and civilian, lost during the fighting.
It is hard for Martire to remember certain facts and feelings he once knew about his landing at Normandy. This is due to a stroke that Martire suffered more than a year ago. Now, with the helpful prompting from his daughter, Sandra, Martire looks back on his life in combat.
Talking about it is hard
“When the landing barge goes down and you have to start running,” said Martire, “that is when you realized you were being shot at, because some of your men are falling into the water.”
After running on to the beach, as shells were being fired, Martire laid down next to a man, who was already dead and took cover. He says that is how he didn’t get shot in the initial landing. Talking about the melee is hard for Martire. Mostly he describes the noises and how “men were dropping like flies.”
“Dad has much more horrifying stories of landing on the beach, but I guess he’s forgotten a bit,” said Sondra.
Hand-to-hand fighting
Martire remembers trying to make it past the hedgerows, which he said was the worst part about the battle. This was because German soldiers were hidden in cement blocks and were shooting out on to the beach.
“You end up running and jumping right into hedgerows and you land on a German,” said Martire. “So it comes to hand-to-hand fighting.”
Martire made it through the invasion. He was given multiple medals for his fighting at Utah Beach. Martire is most proud of his two bronze stars. He received one for his service in Normandy.
Tough ‘Ombres
As a foot soldier, Martire and his comrades in the U.S. 90th Infantry Division were known as the “Tough ‘Ombres.” After the Battle of Normandy he went with his division into France to attempt to liberate German occupied towns.
He described it as house-to-house fighting, with Germans waiting to attack, hiding in all of the homes. The liberation mission took him to the French towns of Saint-Lô, Thionville, and Verdun.
“We would go blast into a house then fight these guys in the house, shoot ‘em, kill ‘em, bayonet ‘em,” said Martire.
At the time, Martire did not enjoy the country as he fought through it. The liberation of Saint-Lô was a big battle for him. He was happy to liberate the people, but due to the constant bombings there was so much destruction to the town.
From happiness to a “bad name”
Martire said, that at first the French people were happy with their arrival because American soldiers were helping liberate them. However, the welcome disappeared as some GI’s gave all the soldiers a “bad name” around local towns, he says.
Martire knew that some of the GI’s were starting to take advantage of the woman in the liberated town.
“To be honest I felt sorry for the women, because they were taken advantage of,” said Martire. “None of them gave themselves willingly, believe me.”
“It’s hard to think on these things … ”
France, and more specifically, Normandy, will be back under observation again. The 70th anniversary events will bring people from around the world to come back to Normandy. Americans, British, Canadians, Norwegians, Polish, Belgians, French, and other nationalities will be represented at the three-month-long observation of the anniversary in France.
Due to medical and financial problems, Martire will not be going back to Normandy for the anniversary. While Martire does have many negative memories of his time in France, Martire would want to go back to Utah Beach. He expresses his desire to find the spot where he laid on the beach while being under fire.
Back at the house in Stratford, Martire sits comfortably in his recliner chair, wearing a U.S. Army tracksuit. He sits near under his collection of World War II weapons. A German luger, a saber taken from a German officer, his M1 rifle with bayonet, and his Colt pistol are all hung without a speck of dust on them.
He describes these memories as far away, and he says there are things he tries not to think about. The further away they are in his mind, the better, Martire proclaims.
“It’s hard to think on these things when you have actually forgotten about them,” said Martire. “You don’t dwell on them, I don’t.”
The 70th anniversary of D-Day is June 6, 2014. To read more from a group of students from Central Connecticut State University who will be visiting and writing about Normandy and other parts of France during the commemoration, please visit CCSU D-Day 70. To find out more about D-Day, here are some suggested links. Skyler Magnoli graduated from Central Connecticut State University in May 2014.