2nd Lt. Walter Ehlers, MOH

     Last February, Walt Ehlers passed away at age 92.  He lived a long and fruitful life.  But that long life was not guaranteed and was in serious doubt in June, 1944.   Walt was a young staff sgt. when his company crossed Omaha Beach in Normandy.  Walt was an experienced infantryman having fought through North Africa and Sicily, and he knew how to survive and how to lead others who wanted to survive: advance, don't get pinned down.   On June 9th, '44, he and his squad were in Goville, France, where he led them against German machine gun nests, taking multiple positions.   The next day, the 10th, his squad covered the withdrawal of his platoon, and he, according to the MOH citation, " stood up and by continuous fire at the semicircle of enemy emplacements, diverted the bulk of heavy hostile fire on himself, thus permitting the members of his own squad to withdraw".  He was shot through the back, but was able to assist an AR man to safety, then returning to his squad after medics patched his wounds.
     Part of the back story of Lt. Ehlers involves his brother, whose landing craft never made it to Omaha Beach, taking a direct hit from mortar fire killing all on board.  Lt. Ehlers had nightmares for 50 years, until he gave a speech at the 50year Anniversary of D-day with pres. Clinton and Queen Elizabeth listening.  After that day, the nightmares went away, he was finally able to confront his brother's death.
       His remarkable speech included these words:
        " While we braved these then -fortified beaches to beat back Hitler and to liberate Europe...we fought for much more than that.. We fought to preserve what our forefathers had died for.... to protect our faith, to preserve our liberty...I pray that the price we paid on this beach will never be mortgaged, that my grandsons and granddaughters will never face the terror and horror that we faced here.  But they must know that without freedom, there is no life and, that the things worth living for, may sometimes demand dying for."
    Lt. Ehlers was the last living recipient of the Medal of Honor earned at D-Day.   He was a long time employee of the VA where fellow workers did not know of his medal.