Through heroism, late vet offers perspective

Talk about a study in contrasts! All one has to do is look at what’s happening in the country today — political name-calling, bitter divisiveness and extreme positions staked out by the parties involved — and then consider the single-minded selflessness of Lt. George Kerchner at Normandy on June 6, 1944, D-Day.

While under fire from the Germans above, Kerchner led his company of Army Rangers up the 100-foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc and then guided them to the five German artillery emplacements that threatened Utah and Omaha beaches down below and destroyed them.

He and 15 members of his unit soon found themselves surrounded by the enemy but managed to repel them for two-and-a-half days until relief troops arrived.

As reported by Descendents of WWII Rangers’ website, wwiirangers.org, “50 years later, a fellow Ranger confided in one of Mr. Kerchner’s sons, ‘When we were surrounded for so long, I had started to cry and would have kept it up if it wasn’t for your dad jumping in my foxhole and holding me like a baby.’”

Lt. Kerchner, who moved to Ocean City in 1970 and later to Ocean Pines, died on Feb. 17, 2012. At the urging of Ocean Pines resident Marty Clarke, a memorial brick in Kerchner’s name was added to the circle at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial in Ocean Pines last Friday, the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion.

Although the Army recognized Kerchner’s heroism by awarding him the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor, he did not undertake this harrowing assault for personal recognition, or glory, or reward. He did it because that was his duty.

It might be said that was then and this is now but reflecting on the purity of motive exhibited by Lt. Kerchner on that day, in that place and under those conditions does put current events in perspective.

Thank you, veterans memorial members, volunteers and donors, for giving us that opportunity.