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Mortimer Caplin

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The barrage balloons almost gave the Normandy armada a festive feel. That's what Mortimer Caplin thought as he approached Omaha Beach. It had not yet been cleared so his Beach Battalion had to circle in their landing craft. Once on shore, it was sporadic fire, desperate infantry and bodies all around. (5:29)

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Beachmaster Mortimer Caplin landed a half mile from his intended sector of Omaha Beach. He took care of business where he was and then worked his way down there. His Beach Battalion company had many important jobs, clearing the beach of stuck boats, helping the wounded and communicating with the command structure. It was a well deserved glass of wine when he finally got to a French tavern. (4:10)

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After the unbelievable enormity of D-Day, Beachmaster Mortimer Caplin expected to be shipped back to the United States to train other beach units for the Pacific. But he was told to report to the Commander of Amphibious Bases in the UK. They needed a lawyer and he just happened to be one. This turned out to be a lucky break. (5:14)

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He was a Beachmaster on Omaha Beach and a Legal Officer in post war England and he was back in the United States making a name for himself in corporate and tax law. Mortimer Caplin had both Robert and Ted Kennedy in his classes at the University of Virginia and when their brother was elected President, he became the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. (5:33)

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Looking back on his Navy career, Mortimer Caplin remembers two unusual incidents. The first was during his training when a deputy commander went ballistic over nothing. The second was the striking contrast between the reactions of a British family and a mess table full of Naval officers when the news of Franklin D. Roosevelt's death was released. (2:34)

Morton Chalef

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Morton Chalef recalls his first real shock of combat after parachuting into France in 1944. (3:13)

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After taking over a German position in Krefeld, Germany, Morton Chalef remembers capturing and escorting 11 German prisoners, but making a nearly fatal mistake in the process. (7:22)

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Morton Chalef tells the story of his first battle in Beeck, Holland, while making his way into Germany in 1944. (5:46)

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After taking fire and eventually overcoming a German machine gun battery, Morton Chalef describes the surprising discovery of just who had been manning the guns. (1:27)

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While keeping watch in a foxhole north of the Battle of the Bulge, Morton Chalef describes initiating machine gun and artillery fire on a suspected enemy position, with humorous results. (6:50)