Matthew O'Neill and John O'Neill

00:07 I'm Matt O'Neill. I'm 32 years old in two days. Today is Wednesday, July 14th, 2021. I am at Pop's house in Pittsford. Pop. Who's also Jack is my grandfather. And yeah.

00:32 Okay.

00:34 Okay, I'm John and O'Neal and I'm actually coming up in December of the what is the amount of age. I hate to say but I mean, I mean 7 at that time. Today's date July 14th, 2021 my home with your conversation partner, my grandson.

01:16 We were very close partnership and they're putting a pasta and that's it.

01:31 So,

01:34 So pop.

01:36 One of the things that,

01:39 I was hoping we would talk about in this interview was the time that you spent in World War II.

01:47 Which is something that you and me have spent a lot of time talking about recently, but I didn't know if you wanted to share anything about the Battalion that you were in in. Where were you? I wouldn't have any problem with that because it's been so long. I don't think that there, is anybody still left in that organization. It's been really close by the government and all the information shouldn't be

02:38 Pastimes, at whoever wants to hear and what was the? What was the Battalion that you were part of engineer combat Battalion. It was actually started about the time that they started, bringing people from different points to the organization so that they could run the operation as the title of a Shaun. So,

03:22 That.

03:24 Stop story.

03:27 Is one that.

03:31 A lot of people in our family, don't know.

03:36 In terms of the particulars of your time overseas in Europe. That's right. We've been you and I have been planning to put some kind of a picture of all about station was, how long I was there and all those things. And so well after I came back from the service and so consequently, they really never had a good idea what my situation was while I was overseas. So I remember that.

04:30 Around the time. Several years ago that

04:35 He got sick.

04:38 Then I started coming over here on Monday nights.

04:42 And you and me have had.

04:47 A really good time. Mondays for a few years since then.

04:53 And,

04:56 I didn't know if.

05:00 You know, to me I think the significance.

05:05 All those Mondays is is large because I don't know that we would have ever started really talking about this project. If we weren't doing that. So frequent, in other words, we saw each other enough that we sort of, you know, knew everything that was going on in each other's lives and could move on to a a topic that was from 70 years ago. Well, it really enabled me to court for my history. Even though it wasn't glamorous. It was still in my history when I was in the military and Allison rocks almost 3 years, so, consequently, we would have some record of it and you're

06:05 Situation with someone.

06:17 I wonder too. I mean for me it's been really.

06:22 Just wonderful to hear those stories from you and to be able to Explorer especially some of the things that are kind of mysteries that we don't, you know, perhaps there's some missing information from the account and trying to track that stuff down has been really interesting for me.

06:47 We find that the different things that happened as we had these conversations Mondays. I was able to bring forth some some of the things that happened and it was enabling me to do some real thought about it and give it to you. And from what you wanted to do with it. You could tell the rest of the family or anybody else you want to tell, it wasn't always a first-class operation, but it was a constant one for the time that I was in the military.

07:38 So, what I wonder what it's like for you to be my impression and correct me if I'm wrong is that you haven't really spent a lot of time talking about this until recently. And I wonder what it's like to talk about and sort of take on a project like this, about the war, you know, so long after it all happened, a little difficult for me. And my memory is probably less than it should be to do this type of thing. So, however, your well-being is enabled me to pick up a lot of stuff which was not

08:33 Reminder to me. So we started putting this history together. I would say that based on my age in your age. You've probably forgotten 2/3 more than I even have have had the opportunity to remember so far just based on the fact that, you know, seventy years ago. Yeah, it's full something back from 75 years ago and say, this is exactly what happened. And these are the circumstances that's a pretty impressive to me that you can do that on such a scale. I really find that it's your help and enabled me to do it. So I would thank you for that other people in the family would never have known, what my history of the military was having this.

09:33 Another words or you and I sat down and Monday night and wrote up a scene of a scuse me. Is there a specific Place time in South? Florida made? It kind of interesting. Yeah, especially one of the things that's very interesting to me is to look at to hear about the time that you spent training for D-Day. Yes, because that was really

10:14 The situation that we all cross our fingers and hope that we could go through the operation and still stay alive. And I wasn't on that particular day. As far as being on the actually the location, but I was very close to it and had the name of an able to find out exactly what the other guys did. And how many were actually killed during that. Of time.

11:06 So it was really learning something about the armor so far that we need to have the success that we can.

11:26 Yeah, all that training about the that was so specific to what you would face and D-Day and announced an addition to just the regular training. No Soldier would go through in all in. It was seems like it was about a year because you went from March 1943, until March May, or even I think May or June you went over to Wells 1944 Anson road. So, we went through the various and Sundry knowledge of how to handle weapons, how to handle different types of armament and so far.

12:26 It was really part of it was how how you kept a group of people like together successfully and it was done by enabling different people to do different things. And so we really had a pretty good education for to do the things that needed to be done to make this thing work all the time.

13:04 It seems to me that you guys had a really really important job to do on D-Day the people that were there for the actual arrival on, D-Day the Normandy Coast. It was a situation that had no way of going to people being in a position of security people or learning to be shot to me, anytime, or it was like, he'll have happening.

14:05 And it and like you say they had to be first off the boat right into The Fray because their objectives was to clear away. All those fortifications on the beach by using explosives, in order to make way for everyone else to be able to land on the beaches. That's right. And we had trained different types of I remember in so far. That was nothing before we actually made Invasion. It was done all the time in the United States are the time in

14:51 In England, or we were in there for several months. And so, the various and Sundry weapons, using things that were being unable us to get rid of the stuff that the enemy had put in front of us to destroy it. And to be able to move the people should be moving that way.

15:27 So it seems like in so many, there's so many parts of your story when I listen to the whole thing that seemed really, really decisive. It might not have seemed that way at the time, for example, even though they selected people from every company of the 299 to be on the first wave on both beaches. You actually were not selected to be in that first wave. That's correct, and we were actually the headquarters and service organization and they had a game. So many people in case this wasn't successful and they would be able to redo it again.

16:27 So there were there for so many people were retained for that purpose and other words instead of turning the full amount of people on the actual invasion. They have a backup another. So it may not end the way they planned it, but it was certainly a very successful way of doing it because we were able to take over and make successful rules. As soon as we got on that had been secured by the people originally.

17:21 Yeah, you do to me, that seems like such a, an important thing because you're the 2/99 had really quite High casualties, and I think it was 33%, made that Invasion. So, another words we were in England and waiting to go and the people that were made the actual occasion. That was the number. And there were a lot of guys that I know myself that never made it off the beach at all. So consequently we are done. I number of people that were lost their lives right on the beach.

18:19 Yeah, and you know, that so striking to hear you talk about that. But the thing that I had, your grandson can never get away from is thinking that. I'm just so glad that you were not on the beach.

18:37 I think I was also we were trying to be another words us and England. We had went through the training that was necessary. And so they could have picked up 10 guys and said, I don't want to take to have somebody else. That's the way it happened. So that was really a different situation that I never knew. That was actually happen.

19:22 Right. Yeah, you know, you can never really see what? What would have happened if you did. You had been selected as, right. So, another thing that strikes me as similar to that occurrence where it's sort of balance on the tip of a knife with

19:38 Sort of I'm a faithful happening, right? Either. You're on the beach or you're not. But another thing that seems like that to me is this somewhat comical experience that you had with applying to the Air Force while you were in the Army before I went in and I had been really trying it locally and my thing that I really learning. So I came to the time, they were securing people for the Air Force. I was able to sign in and be accepted and I was

20:33 That was done and I forget what state I was in its time. But anyway, I went back immediately afterwards, and indicated, to the AC, always a bad guy. You better get on it because we're leaving here. And this whole group is going to be dumped in Florida, in the next 3 or 4 days, and they're really made the difference.

21:12 Really got down to the point or ice. I had no choice. I had to just follow up with a company that I was assigned to, and I did some. We subsequently one from Oregon to in Florida, and we want to all the requirements for The Invasion and I was not in a position to try to be.

21:54 Secured in the Air Force even though I had another try at it by the people that was that were actually turning turning us. And so the next thing I knew I was out and about Bernie going to England. So that was the end of my security is 1st. Aviation was concerned.

22:30 So,

22:33 The other thing that strikes me about your time over there.

22:37 Is some of the descriptions of these large events where it seems like the logistics are so important to move. So many people, and so much supplies across such a great distance, and you were really day today. That was a big part of what you did, wasn't a difference in the actual headquarters, and we had special duties assigned, and the water Point, requirement provide special equipment.

23:37 Provide water as it was necessary for the entire company or the other people that needed water and cell phone. And I want to see highly-technical time.

23:55 Plus then also it was we were always put in some place where we weren't very familiar with our state location.

24:10 Yeah, I am was very surprised as I got to know your story better as we've been tracing. The route that you took. You know, how many little towns almost you could almost say, hundreds of little towns. You went through last night. It was actual success was going forth while you're over there and I'm talking about. That means we were that made me dance on the enemy. So consequently in the area that area could have been 10 Mi or 50 Mi or whatever West. And so, all of a sudden we would be

25:10 And told them to move out of there and go to. So, and so, and so, and so, and so many miles from the organization, can come by tomorrow of water purification. So your experience over there. It seems to me is so different from what you hear Austin recounted from soldiers in terms of your day-to-day and the fact that you were not always with more than another couple other guys, and that's when I think we are normal, the mess would be for people that wouldn't have a

26:10 Recall, the water Pine and usually it was three people or two and leave Renner and made the erotic reading and tested. Before anybody came to get it from another word. Like the headquarters company would be, maybe, maybe 150 people. They would have to have water and a 9, mm farm. So they would come over and we would be ready and have them so that they would have this facility.

27:03 Yeah, it's amazing. How you guys did so much moving just to have everything ready to go to support the operation. Removing. Actually, we had special equipment and some of it was me and I was set up and torn down and moved without much and notice. So it seems like it, it's in as part of this, big machine of logistics and things running smoothly. But it also, when I think about your story is a whole, another major theme seems to be

27:52 Those moments when the logistics hit a snare and actually got it wrong in the circumstances that that created for you. When, for example, you were sent off to replace that maybe didn't exist on the map that happened early on before we actually happened before. Any of the people before, they got two pair of shoes, always say theater some place over there were doing entertainment. They called us and said here, since we got to hit a water point there and we would go there and find, it was improperly.

28:52 More of us deserve. This shown all the hours should be and where it should be, and we go there and you couldn't find it because they had given us the wrong wrong place. So that was kind of a stupid thing. But at that time so we we find out, we would go back and actually left by the troops. We said we would see the people that live there and how they try to come back into their homes and everything like that. It was kind of a crazy situation that our neighbor gives us to see how the people in France at the time.

29:52 Able to go back to their homes and a lot of the homes were destroyed and everything else. So it was just kind of a mistake, does an abled us to see how those people were trying to revise their lives. And sometimes the mistakes were pretty harmless stuff like that and other times they were like a little bit more frightening. Like I'm thinking of the time that nobody knew that first Army Headquarters had pulled out during the Battle of the Bulge and you were sent to spa and get some Minesweeper batteries at the time.

30:38 When we were at a place called Saint, Ron and told to go to my quarters. I happen to be at the make somebody available to do this. So they sent sent us to first Army Headquarters, which was in spa in the Belgium. And now we got there. And first, I might headquarters had left that area and gone to run that. We're probably 30 miles from Mirror, 40 miles from there. So, it was a situation that we went to.

31:38 Enabled us to have some knowledge of the people that work still left there because they said don't actually try to go back because if you go back and got to go through bad storm, and that stone has been, no, it's been under really a battle Battlefield, another works. So that's how we why are you hearing that? You know, that we had to leave there and get out of that area so that we didn't get stuck in in the middle of a battle.

32:23 So,

32:28 Thinking about,

32:32 Thinking about those major moments, you know, during during the Battle of the Bulge in moments like that where it's sort of

32:43 Your story has a lot of those where no, KU danger was just barely averted but there is also some stories that you have that are I would say

32:54 Really kind of heartwarming or comical that has to do with the people that you met on your, you know, like you were mentioning the locals in France and Belgium and some of the people you would it seems to me come into contact with those people quite a lot. Since you were out there with just two or three guys and these towns, I can probably give you some hints on, what, what those places were and what the people were in so far. Because we were, there we are kind of, I don't know, or just there with their equipment and so far more people and more friendly to us.

33:54 Show me for one of the places that we actually land was right? Or it was a big Brewery. That was that was a very interesting situation because they invited us over to their home and so forth, but I was otherwise invited us into the brewery so that we can see what I talked to get a little really. Well. I guess you would call her drunk. And while we were there at that time.

34:54 I'm trying to think of the name of you two to right now.

35:04 As the only military people around there that somebody had to go out and make sure that the device was not explosive anymore. And so far. What should I did there a long one? Probably, I guess it was somebody from the town, maybe their town later when I don't know. And we went out and we created a problem because it took the thing fingers off.

36:04 What type of thing happens in trying out that those people had a large family and they were sending people into the Netherlands, which was not part of our. They invited us to go there, but we didn't think it would be a good idea to go there and you are under control.

36:47 So I pop it.

36:50 If we, you know, you mentioned, you've mentioned that you doubt that there are other members of the 299. Two are still surviving and Shred. I wonder

37:04 If there are, if there were any out there and they could hear this recording. Is there anything that you would want to say to them?

37:13 No, I think I would like to say one me, no more of their experience with the 299 and that would give us some idea what happened when we were separated from the headquarters all the time.

37:48 What's just the way it is. Warm work for us, another worse? And so if we had the people that were more and more knowledge of what was took place, that would be feeling my lack of knowledge.

38:12 And I'm curious too.

38:15 When you think about the project in general, that were doing?

38:20 As something that, you know, that will stay behind after you pass on what, what kind of a reaction do you hope that people will have to this piece of piece of your life that you're choosing to write down. I think that don't you have written up a lot of the stuff that we talked about and it would actually like my own family. All the kids were born, a car faster, or well, after my time in the military and if they had an opportunity to read that, they probably

39:20 And I think they would probably enjoy it as well as other people to right now. I think it's really difficult to remember the stuff would be more interesting to the General Public.

39:45 Yeah, it's almost an account. That's a little bit more perhaps personal to your experience.

39:52 I'm trying. So some of the things.

40:00 Happened to you, and I probably went over and I don't remember all of them. But I do know. For example, I send people of the station and I had a job at one time before. Well, before we made a big penetration over there. These people are the only place I can think of the state may be interested in was in a place where the guy alone and he could provide them with alcohol. So that was kind of

41:00 Happening and just didn't know exactly what you were supposed to do about. We did whatever we could think of.

41:15 I named her. Well, I think Ben is that where we ought to call it or?