Local D-Day veteran returns to Normandy
Evansville Courier & PressAug 11, 2017
When he finally arrived in
"Without thinking, I put my arm around his back, and the next thing I knew, his arm was around mine," Cobb said with a chuckle. "All of a sudden I was holding the president of
Cobb traveled to
He was able to travel through the
"It's kind of emotional to return, especially to see the American cemetery there," he said. "My time serving made me mature a lot faster. It made me appreciate life a little more."
Cobb said he saw the foundation was looking for WWII veterans last year, and he reached out, but this year, they reached out to him.
"Since I was late, I didn't get to meet
Cobb, who served from 1943 until 1945 right after high school, said his main job in the
"It was scary," Cobb said. "You knew your end could happen at any time."
He said it was different to see Normandy now versus from the U.S.S. Murphy DD-603, the boat where he was stationed.
"It did me good to be able to go ashore and see what the place looks like," Cobb said. "The French people I met there were so appreciative, too."
He took a helicopter with two other D-Day veterans to Normandy, which Cobb said was his first time riding one.
Cobb also visited Saint-L", where he was named an honorary citizen for his service.
"I almost had survivor guilt, seeing the sites," he said. "So many people had been killed on shore, and the ships I'd been on were never hit at all. I don't know how I would've been if I hadn't served."
Since World War II, Cobb attended college at what is now the
"I think
Cobb said after seeing how thoroughly the French teach their students about World War II and its tragedies, he hopes all students around the world can learn to prevent similar future conflicts.
"We need to teach children about World War II," he said. "I'm afraid to see things similar to what happened before. We can't let that happen. We never want to go through that again."
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