This last November I was in New Orleans for Thanksgiving week end and my wife and I went to the WW2 National Museum in New Orleans.

There I met with several WW2 veterans who where very kind and didn’t mind sharing stories of what they did, where they fought and their war experiences but also interacting with the locals.

If you are in New Orleans I REALLY recommend you visit this museum, it is astounding ! and because we were short time wise, we only did the European Theater of Operations, but should have visited the Pacific Theater. I’ll have something to look forward doing later. This is a museum where you can actually meet the men who were there, and believe me at a rate of a 1000 per day, pretty soon there won’t be many WW2 veterans left.

Please , if you ever meet one, shake his hand, hug him gently and thank him for his service.

Tom Blakey 82ND AB
505th A co.

WW2 Pacific theater veteran

 Tom Blakey was a paratrooper (19 years old) and fought in Normandy from 6th on to Holland to the end of the war. He told me he discovered “Cider, Calvados and Krauts”, Tom will be coming over to Normandy in June, I hope I get to see him again.

Forrest Villarubia was in another part of the globe but fighting was just as intense, he was in the Pacific Theater and was  particularly in Leyte, Philippines. Having a good sense of humour I told he I was glad to have met him and he said he was glad to have met my wife.

While I was visiting the exibits I had a moving experience as my wife and I spoke with a WW2 veteran his name :

Rosen Elseworth he was a Staff Sgt from the 36th Division also known as the Texas Division.

He was a bearing witness to the liberation and release of people interned at Dachau.  We both had tears rolling down our eyes as he explained to me of his arrival at the concentration camp in Dachau.

He came to France for the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994 and was well taken care of by French people who were happy to have a veteran with them for a couple of days. This charming elderly man even managed to speak some French to my wife.

He landed at Omaha Beach in October of 1944 and probably made his way off the beach through the E – 1 exit or E- 3 exit.

We were very pleased to be able to meet a wonderful man. I thanked him earnest and said. ” Thank You Sir for my freedom, I’ll never forget”.

WW2 veteran Rosen and I at WW2 Museum in New Orleans