Page 6 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MAy 30, 2025 My Uncle John: A World War II Soldier S By Janice K. Jarosz everal years ago, I interviewed my late uncle, John Martin Penney, to learn about his service in the Armed Forces. Uncle John was born at home on April 8, 1916, at 125 Howard Street, Saugus, Mass. The following is what he shared with me. I graduated from Saugus High School in 1934 and in 1942 was drafted into the Army and sent to Fort Devens. After 19 weeks of basic training, I was put on a large convoy headed for England. It was a limey ship and I was put in charge of a 12-man squad. One of the worst parts of being in charge was having to serve the soldiers some of the ugliest oatmeal ever cooked accompanied by one can of milk for all of us. The food was terrible but we survived on cookies. The trip took fi ve days and during that time I read Plato on deck, never figuring I would ever have that kind of time again. It took two days to disembark in Liverpool but no one was happy to learn that the other ship, the Queen Mary, served two great meals a day with ice cream for dessert! My group was stationed in England for a month in preparation for the invasion of France. During that time, they cut our hair short just in case anyone sustained head wounds. Little did I know at the time that it would be me. Before we left Southampton to cross the English Channel, we could see the town of Bristol being bombed and full of fi re. We arrived at Omaha Beach and were faced with a harbor full of dead soldiers fl oating face down — almost a whole division wiped out. Those who witnessed that tragic sight never forgot it. The fi rst wave of men was killed on D-Day just two days before we landed. As we entered the beach, many of the boats were damaged. The Germans had placed bars of steel wrapped with barbed wire — doing a heck of a job trying to destroy our vessels because when the tide was in the traps could not be seen. We fi nally made it to shore late in the day, and I found myself up to my waist in water. All of us knew the Germans were waiting for us. They were stationed on the high ground 18 miles into their main line of resistance, and when we looked up from the beach all we could see were German soldiers. They had machine guns pointed at us and the only reason some of us made it to shore was when they ran out of bullets and had to reload. Some soldiers in the fi rst wave were shot in the crossfi re while others drowned. John Martin Penney, a 1934 Saugus High School graduate, survived his encounters with the German Army. (Courtesy Photo of Janice K. Jarosz) I was trained in heavy weapons and carried a 45 pistol. Our weapons, 81 mm mortars and heavy 30 caliber machine guns, were on the shore. The fi rst convoy in was wiped out and I do not know if we were the second one in or not; all I knew is that we were not the fi rst. A sergeant met us on the beach and said he needed two mortar men and it was me and only one other guy from Springfield. I told him I was trained in rifles, but he told me we would be together in the mortar squad. We turned in our 45s and took bolt action rifl es. The rifl es were World War UNCLE JOHN | SEE PAGE 9 Donate Your Vehicle Call (866) 618-0011 to donate your car, truck, boat, RV, and more today! ■ Support Veteran Nonprofi ts. ■ Free Pickup & Towing. ■ Top Tax Deduction. Donate Your Vehicle Today 866-618-0011 www.veterancardonations.org/dnt122 While we appreciate every donation, in some cases, we fi nd that we are unable to accept certain vehicles, watercraft, and/or recreational vehicles due to the prohibitive costs of acquisition. If you have any questions, please give us a call at (866) 618-0011.
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