“Why Am I Alive?”
A black-and-white photograph of a young Frank Devita, a white man in his late teens, wearing a coast guard uniform and helmet during WWII, standing on a ship. His name and the dates May 15, 1925 - March 12, 2022.
Nov 11, 2019
D-Day was a Disaster for Axis and Allied alike.
Fresh out of High School in Brooklyn, New York, Frank Devita joined the Coast Guard in the summer of 1943. He then met adulthood in the bloody waters off of the Normandy beaches on D-Day and while crisscrossing oceans between additional battles. A finicky eater from an Italian foodie family, Frank found some sneaky ways for him and others to eat in his 33 months in Service.
A gentle warning: Frank shares engrossing details about D-Day and death in this episode. We hear these memories as we step back in time together
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Thank you to the Greatest Generations Foundation for connecting us with Frank for this episode. Explore how you can support a veteran’s visit to memorials and hallowed grounds at www.tggf.org.
Image description: a quote from Frank in tan letters on white: “There’s a cemetery… overlooking Omaha Beach. And in that cemetery are 9400 dead bodies — white marble tombstones. I want you to walk with me in that cemetery. Pick out a tombstone - any tombstone. Place your hand on that white marble and say to yourself, “Six foot down is a boy, probably twenty years old. And he gave his life for his country.” And then you lift your eyes up, and you see 9400 white marble tombstones. They all gave their lives for their country.”
Behind the Episode:
See a gallery of images of Frank and documents applicable to this episode at ServicePodcast.org.
Hear Frank describe how he ended up in the Coast Guard after contemplating the Air Corp and the Navy. (outtake from the interview)
Read accounts of D-Day veterans (including Frank) at Coast Guard Compass and The Associated Press.
Learn more about Frank's ship - The USS Samuel Chase - from D-Day Overlord and NavSource.
Dig deep into D-Day facts with video, photos, and more from History.com.
Bridgewater Renames Ardsley Lane in Honor of WWII Veteran Frank DeVita
Watch an Associated Press video with images behind the D-Day story Frank shares in our episode. (Listen to his episode first!)
