Cunard Presents
The Greatest Generations Foundation Tribute Sailing

Replacement Soldier Angle

Barclay joined the “Fighting 69t

Born in Peoria, Illinois in 1924

Technician Fifth Grade Peter B. Dupre served as a medic in the 114th General Hospital Unit in Kidderminster, England during WWII. He went to basic training at age 18, took a three-day pass to get married and was immediately deployed. He served for three years overseas, during which time he treated wounded servicemen from all areas of Europe, including those who had been wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. He returned home, went straight to work and raised five children with his beloved wife to whom he has been married for 70 years.

Born on October 12, 1925, John grew up in Charlotte and joined the Army’s Specialized Training Program for high IQ Soldiers and was sent to Cornell University. After infantry training he was assigned to the 87th Infantry Division joining General George Patton’s Third Army in liberating Europe. John served as a front-line machine gunner in the Battle of Northern France and later the Battle of the Bulge. His division helped relieve the 101st Airborne Division surrounded in Bastogne, fighting through the Siegfried Line and across the Mosel and Rhine rivers.

Michael (“Mickey”) Ganitch was born November 18, 1919

Stuart Hedley was born in West Palm Beach, Florida on October 29th, 1921, and raised in northern New York. On the morning of December 7, 1941, the attack began. Japanese fighters and torpedo bombers poured over the horizon, intent on the destruction of the U.S. Pacific fleet. Headley made his way towards his battle station at turret number three, where he served as a spotter for the gun. With the West Virginia reeling from the blows it had received, Stu and his shipmates made their way topside. Stu recalls leaping into the water feet-first and coming up amid debris and burning oil and swimming for his life towards the shoreline. He was able to salvage only two items from that fateful day: a pearl buckle and a half penny that had been given to him by a British sailor. He eventually fought in nearly 13 battles aboard the San Francisco, including Bougainville, New Guinea and the Battle of Guadalcanal.

Steve Melnikoff is one of the few veterans left who experienced the full horrors of the D-Day landings. Born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island in 1920, he served in 1st Battalion, 175th Regiment, of the 29th Infantry Division, eventually achieving the rank of technical sergeant. He still keeps in touch with many of his friends from his time in the service. They, like him, are some of the few who know what it was like to be a combat infantryman storming a beach. For his actions during World War II, he earned three Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, and numerous other awards. The decoration he is most proud of is his Combat Infantry Badge.

Richard “Dick” Ramsey was born October 31, 1923, in Brooklyn, New York. After Boot Camp at the Great Lakes Training Station, Dick reported on board the USS Nevada BB36 Battleship. Dick participated in the following invasions: D-Day in Normandy, the Cherbourg, France bombardment, the D-Day invasion of Southern France, and the bombardment of the fortifications at Marseilles and Toulon, France. The USS Nevada returned to the Pacific Theater in November 1944 where Richard participated in the invasions of Iwo-Jima and Okinawa.