1965

1965

“Marvelous” and “deeply moving,” were only some of the reactions to the June 5-13 class of 1965 trip to Normandy led by Tom Long. Bruce Jolly said of Tom, “Your knowledge of the Normandy in vasion,your open personality, your enthusiasm and your skill in delivery make you a great teacher and a great tour leader.” Twenty-eight ’65s made the trip, which is modeled after the class Long teaches at George Washington University. Susan and Tom Long led the trip (Tom as teacher, Susan making the whole thing run). Hank Amon, Ted

Bracken, Marianne and Don Bradley, Louise and David Bush, Gerry d’Aquin and Deb Coulson, Weaver Gaines and Mary Trew, Mike Gonnerman, Deborah and Jim Griffiths, Nancy and Roger Hansen,

Ann and Bruce Jolly, Diane and Stu Keiller, Rick Leach, Beverly and John Rogers, Susanne and Bill Webster, and Jane and George Wittreich made up the group. Wanda and Keith Young joined us for two evenings in London. The trip took us first to London and Winston Churchill’s headquarters, then the estate at Bletchley, where 10,000 people worked in complete secrecy to decrypt German communications. We then crossed the channel to Bayeux to visit the D-Day beaches.

We traveled those Normandy shores and learned about the brilliant deception (Hitler was sure the landing would be at the Pas de Calais); the good, bad and tragic luck; the mind-boggling logistics; and the grit and determination of the troops on both sides. Long’s gift as a teacher, beside deep knowledge and enthusiasm, made the story of D-Day a human one. “Realizing that it was the courage of people just like us that actually made it happen,” he said, “was a very powerful experience for me.” And so it was for the rest of us.

At the American Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, we read eulogies for the five Dartmouth men buried there. Bracken audited Tom’s class and became “a junkie,” as he said, of the history. His detailed biographies were the basis for five classmates’ eulogies—for 2nd Lt. Edward T. Jenkins III ’34 (read by Wittreich), PFC James R. Whitcomb ’38 (Gonnerman), Sgt. James A. O’Hearn Jr. ’41 (Keiller), 2nd Lt. Richard Kersting ’42 (Gaines) and Seaman Fletcher Burton Jr. ’45 (Bracken). Keiller remembers thinking “how lucky we were to come together in the fall of 1961 at Dartmouth. We enjoyed a good life and were now paying tribute to the men of the greatest generation who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom. It was a fitting conclusion to a wonderful week together that will endure as one my fondest Dartmouth memories.”

Rumor has it that Dartmouth travel is hoping Tom will lead this trip again. There’s too much to cover in this column, but Keiller has collected pictures, stories and at least one journal that flesh out this wonderful experienceatbiggreen65.com (minireunions).

Finally, mark your calendar for the fall minireunion at Pierce’s Lodge in Etna, New Hampshire, October 28-29 (Homecoming vs. Harvard), and for CarniVail, which Steve Waterhouse says will happen March 3-5,2017.

— John Rogers, 6051 Laurel Ave., #310, Golden Valley, MN55416; (763) 568-7501; jolmbairdrogers@ comcast.net