From Farm Roots to the Front Lines:The Early Life and D-Day Journey of Forest Wireman

From Farm Roots to the Front Lines:

The Early Life and D-Day Journey of Forest Wireman

Larry Bailey

For The Ashland Beacon

God. Family. Country.

These three values have been the guiding principles throughout the life journey of Magoffin County native Forest Wireman. And who could argue with a man who, this past May, celebrated his 101st birthday—yes, 101—while living at the King’s Daughters and Sons Assisted Living Home?

Wireman’s journey with God began many years ago as a young man working in the beautiful Appalachian foothills alongside his 12 siblings, parents, grandparents, and other relatives in the rural farmlands of Waldo, eastern Kentucky.

Life on the farm was never easy, but his large family never complained about the early mornings before sunrise or the long evenings that stretched into late nights and earlier mornings. There was hardly ever a break from the work that needed to be done to ensure there was food on the table, clothes on their backs, and a roof over their heads.

Little did Wireman realize how much his faith in God, love for family, and work ethic learned on the farm would be tested and relied upon as he served his country, fighting for its very existence during World War II in the European Theatre.

Wireman’s early life was shaped by older family members working in the dangerous coal mines of nearby Breathitt County. Though the work was hard and grueling, the modest income, combined with a full garden and crops to sell, provided the essentials his family needed to survive.

Mom and Pop Wireman also understood the importance of education. Forest and his siblings attended school whenever possible. Although his memory fails to recall how his mother managed to attend Berea College, Forest would later follow in her footsteps by enrolling at the school in the southern part of central Kentucky.

“Even back then Dad and Mom stressed the importance of school,” he said. “Dad told us all that we could do anything with an education.

“I remember one day one of my brothers was working the fields and just stopped plowing and took a nap under a big ole tree. Dad saw him and wanted to know what he was doing. He told Dad that graduating entitled him to a nap. I thought it was funny, but Dad didn’t, and my brother went back to plowing the fields.”

Those days at Berea in the late summer of 1943 were few, as the war was underway in Europe. German dictator Adolf Hitler was taking Europe by storm with his powerful army, tanks, giant guns, and air force. The United States’ ally, Great Britain, was in Hitler’s crosshairs just across the English Channel, and it was only a matter of time before the U.S. would become involved.

The U.S., which had remained neutral in the European conflict, was already at war with the Japanese Imperial Army after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Following that attack, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, prompting America’s full entry into WWII.

“I just felt I had to do what was right and I knew that meant I needed to serve my country,” Wireman said about his decision to leave school. “I don’t recall everything, but I remember I was young when I joined.”

On a late summer day, August 19, 1943, the 19-year-old and a friend formally enlisted in the United States Army at a recruiting station in Huntington, WV, according to his Honorable Discharge papers.

Wireman’s first official encounter with Uncle Sam’s Army was somewhat embarrassing for the smaller-in-stature young man.

“The Army didn’t have a uniform to fit me,” he said with a chuckle. “So, my first job was working in the kitchen. They told me to eat a lot and work hard and build muscle.”

Little did the Army or Wireman realize his small frame would later save the lives of thousands of American soldiers!

After intensive and swift training in boot camp, Wireman said he did not realize what he would soon be called to do for his country and the world.

Shortly after training, Wireman found himself aboard a ship filled with other frightened, mostly teenage soldiers, many likely making their first trip away from home soil. They were bound for Great Britain, where countless young warriors from Canada, the U.S., and other allies gathered, waiting to learn where and when they would encounter the enemy in battle.

While the Allies planned their next move, Hitler’s line of dug-in soldiers, mighty guns, and aerial weapons stood ready to defend what was known as the Atlantic Wall. This defensive line stretched from northern Norway, along the borders of Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, northern France, to Vichy France, Normandy, and stopped at the Spanish border.

American, British, French, and Canadian leaders were preparing what would become known as D-Day (the Day of Decision, among many other names) on the beaches of Normandy. While this battle involved the most soldiers from both the Allies and Germans, other Allied companies were dropped behind enemy lines to attack from all sides.

“We weren’t told our mission until just before the time leading up to getting onto the (water) transports,” he recalled. “I remember I didn’t have time to think about being scared as everything was happening so fast!

“We were given our orders, and I knew how to follow orders. On the farm my grandparents and parents always told us what to do and I never argued. I knew it was best for me then and the same in the Army.”

Officially, Wireman and over 8,000 soldiers formed the 79th Infantry Division. Private Wireman was part of Company C—one of four, 2,000-man companies that had been formed from his original platoon.

His company was to arrive on the beaches of Normandy in the Allies’ second-wave assault on that fateful day of June 6, 1944. The assault began shortly after midnight when American paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne landed behind German-held positions to secure exits from the beaches to the mainland for the incoming soldiers.

Nearly three hours after the paratroopers were dropped, American B-29s and other Allied aircraft bombed German-occupied areas along the 50-mile beach line. Around the same time, a bogus Allied invasion was conducted at Pas de Calais, about 150 miles from the northern Normandy beaches.

The fake invasion coincided with the German belief that the Allies would indeed land at this point, which was closest to the British mainland. The Germans were greatly surprised to discover that the fake landing was simply a diversion to shift focus away from the Normandy beaches, where the vast majority of Allied forces were landing.

Around 5 a.m., Allied ships off the coast began bombarding German-held areas at the landing zones. Soon after, American, Canadian, and British troops began landing on the five beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.

The Allied plans had not gone exactly as outlined by leaders. The invasion had been scheduled for the previous day, but poor weather, low visibility, and rough seas forced the event to be rescheduled for 24 hours later. Without that change in conditions, the invasion may have been delayed for at least another couple of weeks.

“It still wasn’t the best conditions,” Wireman recalled, “and I remember getting off the transport and in water up nearly to my chin.

“I saw things that I wish I never saw. I knew that I had to pay attention and follow my orders. I had no problems with that.”

Before leaving the transport, Wireman’s commander told Company C soldiers that if they were able to take control of the nearby German-controlled radar station in Cherbourg, then their mission would be accomplished, and they’d be on their way back to Great Britain and then home.

Perhaps the commander was trying to rally his troops, but his words would never come to fruition for those lucky enough to make land and trek to the German outpost, located nearly 60 miles away and heavily guarded by enemy soldiers, machine gun nests, tanks, and land mines.

Before gaining a foothold on solid ground, Wireman and his fellow soldiers had to make landfall.

“Some have asked me about the beaches,” the Gentle Soul said. “There was no beach as we knew it. Between all the bombings from our B-29s, the big guns from our offshore ships, and the German guns, land mines, and traps, the place had been bombed to Hell. “I remember I had to walk on bodies to get to land.”

Wireman and his company were part of the second wave of soldiers to land that dreary day. The second wave outnumbered the first, as Allied leaders hoped the fierce German soldiers would have been thinned out by the initial wave.

The intended landing area for Wireman’s company was Omaha Beach, but poor weather had caused the craft to venture off course and make landfall nearer to Utah Beach to the south. Hitler had placed his largest mass of Atlantic Wall soldiers at Omaha Beach, where German troops were dug in atop large cliffs in heavily fortified positions.

The Allied seaborne invasion proved to be the largest in history. It is estimated that 45,000 soldiers from the United States, Canada, and Great Britain perished that fateful day on the five beaches.

“I hit land and never had time to think about anything but staying alive,” Wireman said. “We had our orders and those were to get up and fight our way to Cherbourg and then go home.”

Fighting was fierce, and the warfare anything but conventional. “I quickly learned it was me or them and that was all there was to it,” Wireman said. “We were fighting tree-to-tree and house-to-house.”

Being from eastern Kentucky, Wireman knew a little about trees and a lot about hunting. Those long-ago hunting trips for rabbits and deer certainly helped him defeat the enemy, as he was considered a sharpshooter by the Army.

“They (German soldiers) seemed to be everywhere,” he recalled. “We would hide behind trees to avoid getting shot. I remember one Beech tree was so big that three of us were able to hide behind it. “Bet that tree is still standing, and I guarantee you it’s full of lead.”

After successfully taking the Cherbourg outpost, what remained of Company C was ready to rejoice and head to the first ship bound for Britain and then America. Those dreams quickly ended when their commander spoke four words they did not want to hear.

“Berlin is that way, and he pointed his finger toward Berlin,” Wireman recalled him saying. Berlin was in nearly 700 miles away.

All hopes for an early trip home were dashed, but Wireman was not about to wallow in self-pity as there were more orders to follow.

Aside from occasional rides in jeeps or transport vehicles, step-by-step Wireman trudged toward Berlin. He credits God with getting him through the often-never-ending journey and battles along the way.

“I know God was with me every step,” he said. “Thru all those days and battles, I know He brought me home. That was not an easy trip as German soldiers were hidden all along the route and we had to be alerted every minute.” Indeed, the path to Berlin proved challenging to say the least.

On one occasion, two camouflaged German machine gun nests surprised Company C soldiers walking along a path below a ridgeline. Machine gun fire rang out, pinning down the Americans with no immediate escape.

“That’s when I crawled to the captain and told him I thought I could go around the ridge and come up behind them,” Wireman said. “The captain agreed, and before I began crawling, they (U.S. soldiers) put small branches of trees in my uniform to camouflage me.

“It took me about two hours of crawling on my hands and knees, but I was able to get behind the two German gunners. I pulled the pin out of the grenade, and I wanted them to know I was there, so I yelled at them. They turned around just as I threw the grenade, and it landed between the two and killed them.”

The brave, gallant action earned Wireman the prestigious Bronze Star for saving countless lives on the French battlefield.

Life on the battlefield left soldiers thinking only of survival and home. “There weren’t any letters or things from home,” he said. “When we were able to sleep, it would have been on rocks or dirt. You made do with what you had. “And you didn’t want to waste time thinking or trying to figure things out. We were told to follow orders, and that is what I did.”

After the D-Day invasion, the war turned in favor of the Allies. Many in Hitler’s armies were killed or surrendered. Hitler was forced to recruit young boys and old men during the final days.

Then, in the spring of 1945, Soviet forces took control of Berlin while Hitler had taken his own life. Though pockets of German resistance remained, for all purposes the war was over—but that didn’t mean the area was safe.

“I saw two young German boys with gasoline and guns, holding two Jewish residents,” he said, “and I was not about to let them kill those two, so I got behind them and stuck my gun to an ear of one of the boys. They took running off, and the two Jewish folks were free to go.”

On another occasion with a German guard, Wireman found himself looking down the barrel of the guard’s rifle. Wireman said a friend had been with him but lagged behind for some reason. Wireman knew his friend was a sharpshooter and had his rifle ready.

“I tried talking with the guard just so that I could get some space between us,” he said. “I was hoping my buddy saw what was happening and would take the shot.”

Seconds later, the shot rang out, killing the guard instantly. “I knew God was watching over me again,” he added.

Another time Wireman felt God’s protecting hand when, during a battle, he found what he thought was a broken German tank. He climbed atop the machine gun where fellow soldiers supplied him ammunition to fire at dug-in Germans.

“All of a sudden the tank started moving, and I quickly jumped off,” he said. “It went just a few feet before our guys took it out.”

When Berlin fell to the Soviets, Wireman and the American soldiers were close behind.

The war was finally over, and the young lad from Magoffin County had served his country with pride. He appreciated his military training but gave credit to a higher power.

“I never had any injuries, and I give God the credit for that,” he said. “He brought me home, and I will never forget that.”

When he learned he was one of only six in his company to survive the trip from Normandy to Berlin, he was humble and thankful. As a reward, Uncle Sam gave each of the six $40 and a few days of furlough.

He and his buddies traveled to the mountains in nearby Switzerland, where he spent the night sleeping on an ice bed.

“It was as warm as it could be,” Wireman recalled of his hotel stay. “I remember watches with diamonds selling for just a couple dollars. We went through the $40 quickly, so we didn’t have money for watches.” Even then, after all he had gone through, Wireman remained the same country boy. “I don’t think about that much,” he said of his time in the war. “I did what I thought I had to do for my country. I guess I’m a hero as some people say, but I don’t think about that either.”

When his tour was over, Wireman made it home to discover his mother and friends had purchased a new blue Cadillac convertible, which he promptly drove through the creek bed—also the farm’s only road—and on to town.

“I drove down to the school where I met this pretty young girl by the name of Pat,” he said. “She was wonderful, and her parents really liked me, too.”

That chance encounter led to a relationship that lasted more than 70 years until Pat passed away a few years ago. On his 100th birthday last year, Wireman received over 300 birthday wishes and cards from European dignitaries and some of the highest military officials in the United States. His daughter proudly displayed the cards and letters he received.

He married Pat and started a family, raising children who were taught the values he learned on the farm and the battlefield. “I taught my children that God, family, and country come first,” he said.

Wireman also remained active in his community, serving on boards and committees and attending church regularly.

At 101 years old, Wireman’s memories are clear, and his faith remains strong.

“I’ve been blessed to live a long life,” he said. “I hope my story encourages others to never give up, to serve their country if called, and to hold on to their faith.”

His family, friends, and community admire his resilience and spirit. Wireman continues to inspire all who meet him with his gentle nature and unwavering dedication to his core values.

In the words of Forest Wireman: “God, family, and country have carried me through the hardest times. I am grateful every day to have lived a life of service and love.”