|
D-DAY, 1944
IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY Of RICHMAN LEWIN The D-Day invasion was the biggest story since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Not until the first atomic bomb fell, would we hear so momentous news in World War Two. Radio news was in its infancy. Without the genius and talent of men like Richman Lewin, we would have heard the D-Day story told in the radio news style of that day. Richman gave the event a new dimension on the local scene. He was not only professional, he had a certain brilliance and energy that set him apart from other broadcasters. He was miles ahead in his planning. It was his idea, for example, to tie the news coverage to the War Bond Drive, to help raise money for the war effort. And he was a good teacher. We have all profited from his tutorial in radio broadcasting. His memory will long dwell "Among the Pines". AL VINSON D-DAY IN LUFKIN JUNE 6, 1944 Every year on June 6th, I drift back in time to recall D-Day, 1944, and give thanks for being safe and secure in my hometown. D-Day was a long awaited event. Everyone knew it was coming. And since so many local men and women would be directly involved, interest was at a peak. At the time, I was a staff announcer at Radio Station KRBA, the town's only radio station. Others, working as announcers, were Richman Lewin and Murphy Martin. Richman was a fixture at the station, and excelled in his daily performance. He later managed a new radio station, KTRE, and Channel Nine, KTRE-TV. Murphy Martin went on to become a successful broadcaster on the national scene with ABC Radio and Television. KRBA was on the air from six a.m. till nine thirty p.m. I had closed the station on the night of June fifth. At home, about 11:30 p.m., I had a call from Richman. He had been listening to network radio stations, and was convinced the invasion was about to begin. He said we should meet at the station to check the teletype for wire reports on the situation. We were in the studios by Midnight. The exact time and date of the expected landings were top secret. The News Service had sent us reams of copy to be used after the landing. The copy detailed information about the units that would be involved, and a myriad of facts about the command, armor, geography and training. All this, plus information on naval, air and ground support to be supplied by allied forces. There had been at least two major false alarms, transmitted by the press services, in previous days. This resulted from the two leading news wires fighting to be first with the invasion announcement. These news "Flashes" were actually broadcast, then immediately denied. But, at any rate, our backup copy still had gone unused. After reading the wire reports, we began to get "antsy" about signing on the air. We put aside our doubts and signed on at 2:30 a.m., just six minutes before the invasion began. In those six minutes we read the news of the impending invasion. At 2:36 a.m., June 6, 1944, the teletype bell began to ring and the machine typed the word " F L A S H ." The message read something to the effect: "The invasion of the European mainland has begun. Allied troops have landed in France." We had not had time to even speculate or explain why we had suddenly come on the air in the middle of the night. And, at this point, we were so excited, we almost failed to remember that we had a plan of action for this moment. We took turns calling the police and fire stations, the lumber mills, churches and the railroad station. We had broadcast days in advance that when the invasion began, we would alert the public, by having all these agencies sound their bells, whistles and horns. The telegraph operator at the railroad depot, notified the switch engines to blow their whistles. The church bells rang. The police and fire stations sounded their horns, as did the lumber mills in the area. And for the next few hours automobile horns were punctuating the air. With the windows open at the radio station, we had no trouble hearing the cacophony of bells, horns and whistles, all sounding at once. Since we were the only broadcast station in Lufkin, I expect the ratings for KRBA were never higher. The Lufkin Daily News "EXTRA" hit the streets before dawn with newsboys shouting: "Get your Extra Paper! The Yanks have landed! Allies invade France". Richman, Murphy and I read the wire reports over and over as they came in by teletype. The station also had arranged to have local citizens come to the station and make broadcast appeals for the purchase of War Bonds, in support of our troops. I don't recall the final amount of pledges received, but it was far beyond our expectations. A large part of the success of the bond drive, was due to the support of local talent on the air to appeal for funds. The entertainment was a welcome break for the announcers. We didn't play a single phonograph record for the next thirty six hours we were on the air. War News and War Bond sales were the only thing scheduled for this moment in history. And this marked the first time 24-hour radio was offered in Lufkin. We were indebted, too, to the wire service for providing that backup copy. It saved the day for the broadcasters. I remember the three of us hovering over the teletype reading and re-reading the copy coming down the line. But teletypes were slow in those days, and to fill the time with information people wanted, we were able to deliver from this resource. We soon found that voices wouldn't last without rest. We began a rotation of three or four hours each. And a two hour nap was all we needed to get back to the task. When my break time came, I walked home. Little or no air conditioning existed in those days. Windows were open in every home, and each one had a radio tuned to KRBA. The air was filled with war news, and I didn't miss a word going to and from the station. The major difference then, and now, was the lack of news commentary. We simply reported the facts about news from the front, as described by correspondents on the scene. There was no second guessing, no word about the movement of troops, or future plans. And certainly, no criticism of our government and its leadership. Our nation was like a family, and each of us would do anything to protect it. Three months later, I would be in boot camp, and on to radio school, to become a radio operator on Merchant ships. That night in June, I little realized how much the world would change. Murphy Martin has since served as television news anchor for ABC-TV Network; WFAA-TV, in Dallas; WABC-TV in New York, and was the Voice of the Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium for 24 years. Today, Murphy proudly wears a Dallas Cowboy Super Bowl ring. Since retiring from that position, Murphy is a successful Motivational Speaker. He also served as President of United We Stand, the Ross Perot sponsored MIA/POW program. Murphy will surely attest he has covered most of the changes the world has seen since D-Day, 58-years ago. |
 Al Vinson |
|