USAAF Captain At Normandy Soothed The Soul Of His Would Be German Sniper By Playing His Trumpet

[Libertas1776]

I know its late in the evening, but I wanted to share one last Veteran's Day story that I thought deserved a DU post.

"Going into battle armed with a trumpet"

It was two weeks after D-Day, a few miles from the bloody shores of Omaha Beach. An airstrip had been carved out of the Normandy countryside, costing the lives of 28 Army engineers at the hands of German snipers. A lone sniper still remained in the nighttime distance. Despite the risk, Capt. Jack Tueller felt compelled to play his trumpet.

<snip>

"I was told, 'Captain, don't play tonight; your trumpet makes the most glorious sound,' but I was stressed," he said. He was so troubled that he was willing to take a chance the sniper wouldn't fire."I thought to myself, that German sniper is as lonely and scared as I am. How can I stop him from firing? So I played that German's love song, 'Lilly Marlene,' made famous in the late '30s by Marlene Dietrich, the famous German actress. And I wailed that trumpet over those apple orchards of Normandy, and he didn't fire."

<snip>

The next morning, the military police came up to Tueller and told him they had a German prisoner on the beach who kept asking, "Who played that trumpet last night?""I grabbed my trumpet and went down to the beach. There was a 19-year-old German, scared and lonesome. He was dressed like a French peasant to cloak his role as a sniper. And, crying, he said, 'I couldn't fire because I thought of my fiancé. I thought of my mother and father,' and he says, 'My role is finished.'
"He stuck out his hand, and I shook the hand of the enemy," Tueller said. " he was no enemy, because music had soothed the savage beast."

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/vif2.pilot.trumpet/index.html

Here's the beautiful song "Lilly Marlene" as sung by Marlene Dietrich

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO0lUXnAs-U
...................................................................................................................................................

He soothed his would be sniper by playing his trumpet. "What is that?" "Musack...just musack."

To the veterans, all of them that are with us now, and to the rest that now sleep forever here and across the many oceans upon foreign soil, you are not forgotten. Let there be peace, and no more fighting. Peace among all men. Peace. Forever. :patriot:

[Angry Dragon]

1. Perhaps when we think of veterans

we also need to think of veterans of other countries that are just people doing their jobs, sent by their governments.

Perhaps if we just sent the ones that thought wars would settle things, then there would be less wars and if wars they would last not as long.

[Libertas1776]

2. I agree, we should think of

the veterans of other countries who are, like you said "are just people doing their jobs, sent by their governments." That is why I included my little UN Flag smiley to represent all nations (although it's kind of hard to make out :eyes:)

[Captain Hilts]

4. Yes. I sided with Britain in the Falklands, but really felt bad for the Argie troops. Conscripts.nt

[intheflow]

3. There are few lovely moments in war.

But that moment in history was lovely. And compassionate. And human. Thanks for posting, Libertas.

[struggle4progress]

5. Christmas In The Trenches (John McCutcheon)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9coPzDx6tA

Christmas Truce, December 1914
http://think-in-pictures.com/2007/12/25/christmas-truce-december-1914/

[eppur_se_muova]

6. "The Man He Killed" by Thomas Hardy

"Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have sat us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!


"But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.


"I shot him dead because —
Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although


"He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like — just as I —
Was out of work — had sold his traps —
No other reason why.


"Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat if met where any bar is,
Or help to half-a-crown."