WWII veteran visits his best friend's grave for the first time at Normandy American Cemetery, 79 years after the Allied landings
"Robert, you know, we won the war!"
Back in June, Ohio native and WWII veteran Richard Rossi visited his
best friend's grave for the first time at Normandy American Cemetery.
When they grew up, Richard and Robert were always together, like
brothers. Both jazz lovers, Richard played the saxophone, Robert played
the trumpet, and together they played many concerts before the war.
Richard was 17 when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He enlisted in the U.S.
Army on May 10, 1943, with his best friend Robert Bailey. While Richard
completed Radio School at Fort Benning and became a radio operator,
Robert was assigned to the 79th Infantry Regiment. In spite of this,
they kept in touch as war raged.
Richard was assigned to the 1301st Engineer General Service Regiment,
part of Patton’s 3rd Army. He departed for France and landed on Utah
Beach in early July 1944 as a radio operator. He later learned of the
Army’s need for a saxophone player for the orchestra regiment. Learning
that Robert had been killed in action on July 8, 1944, was hard for him,
but he continued performing for the troops - boosting morale of the men
fighting in Germany, Belgium and Czechoslovakia was a vital mission too
Returning home after the war was hard too: everything had changed,
and mostly, he missed his best friend. Richard followed his passion for
jazz music and became a successful teacher of saxophone music. 79 years
after the Allied landings in Normandy, the first thing Richard said
while facing his childhood friend's grave was "Robert, you know, we won
the war!" He went on to share countless stories with Robert. For 30
minutes Richard told his best friend about what happened during all
those years that separated them.
Accompanied by ABMC interpretive guide Guillaume Lebastard, a jazz
music lover too. Together, they chatted about old and new jazz waves,
and Guillaume asked what Robert’s favorite song was, without hesitation
Richard replied “Body and soul” by Coleman Orchestra, 1940. Guillaume
promised Richard he would visit Robert's grave again to play the song.
ABMC interpretive guide Guillaume Lebastard accompanied WWII
veteran Richard Rossi during his visit at Normandy American Cemetery.
Since that day, Guillaume has shared Robert and Richard's story with visitors, ensuring that their legacy continue to live on.
