I am extending a special thank you to Mark Bando for introducing me to Dick Ladd who was a 101st Airborne Screaming Eagle with my father in WWII.
Dick and his lovely wife, Helen were warm and gracious inviting me and my husband to their home before going out to lunch two summers ago on May 2, 2013. Dick had some photos put together for me and began to give me his recollections of my father, a radio man who they referred to as “The Communicator.” He said my father was a quiet and friendly man.
Dick recalled seeing my dad the day before their jump into Holland in September 1944 and remembered hearing that Dad got hurt. He did not see him again until a 1964 Airborne reunion in Kentucky, where he immediately recognized Dad across the room. Dick said that it was as though time stood still and transported them back to that day in 1944.
He read the wartime memoir and collection of letters that dad wrote back home while serving in the 101st Airborne between 1943-1945 in the book, Comes A Soldier’s Whisper. Dick enjoyed the book and pointed out right away that about five letters were misdated as “1944” when they should have been “1945.” But I published dad’s letters exactly as he wrote them and did not even realize this important detail. Apparently he was still suffering from what used to be called “shell shock” after four battle campaigns, the most recent having been The Battle of the Bulge. So I can understand that the poor guy continued to write “1944” when it was really “1945.” No problem. It just makes it all more real or should I say surreal. Those letters have now been relocated to the appropriate timeline in the book with a footnote explanation.
Dick also had a huge laugh over my older brother visiting Castle Rolle in 2004 where the 101st set up camp in December 1944. My brother said that our dad operated his radio in her foyer. She said, “oh yes, he was a lovely young man, kept talking to someone named Roger!” Ha! Too cute. You can’t make this stuff up.
Check out the Skull & Crossbones patch that dad writes about in one of his letters. He remarked that it may not be very pretty, but they were sure damn proud to receive it! The bat wings and skull patch your dad wrote about was the unapproved, but widely-embraced regimental pocket patch of the 502 PIR, which has since become known as the ‘widowmaker’ logo. Richard Ladd is pointing to The patch in the group photo that Ladd is pointing to, is a green and black patch, made specifically for members of the S-2 section and designed by Cecil Simmons. Since only about 25-30 of those green patches were ever manufactured in 1945, it is an obscure patch, little known to the public, except for patch collectors and relatively few history buffs. This information was given to me by Mark Bando, historian and author of books on the 101st Airborne. Please visit Amazon.com to see his many publications.
It was a beautiful day. I left a copy of Peter Hendrikx book, ORANGE IS THE COLOR OF THE DAY, so Dick could go back down memory lane in this fabulous, pictorial of the 101st Airborne and the jump into Holland in September 1944. The book was appropriately titled, as orange is the Holland color. The Dutch covered tops of buildings with the color orange which were considered safe points to approach. It gave me a good excuse to go back and take them out to lunch again! Sadly, time got away from us both and that follow up lunch never happened.
I have recently learned that Dick Ladd was been admitted to the NY State Veterans’ Home in Batavia for Dementia in May, 2015. Please say a special prayer for this decorated WWII Veteran and his family, the Greatest Generation.
God bless our veterans!
