In 1943, he finally convinced his parents to let him enlist in the World War II military effort.
Like many parents at the time, Eldon “Sam” Kitchen’s mother and stepfather struggled with the idea of him enlisting, especially as a high school student. They eventually agreed, and 16-year-old Kitchen would soon enlist, complete bootcamp, and arrive on the war front.
Decades later, long-time Fayetteville resident and retired U.S. Army Col. Kitchen, was invited as an honoree to attend the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings and liberation of Europe in Normandy, France, on June 6, 2024.
However, on May 5, Kitchen, 98, passed away. His friend and fellow veteran, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Richard “Dale” Cremisio, attended in his stead.
The end of an era
The 80th anniversary commemorative event was held at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, on the shores of Omaha Beach, with speeches by French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and U.S. President Joe Biden. The American Battle Monuments Commission estimates that “approximately 10,000 people attended the ceremony.”
According to a report on the historical context of D-Day by the American Battle Monuments Commission, “at dawn on June 6, 1944, a fleet of 4,266 transport vessels and 722 warships protected by over 10,000 airplanes approached the coast of Normandy. Spread out across a 22-mile-long front, this convoy was transporting 130,000 men. … [The campaign] ended between Aug. 19 and Aug. 29, 1944. Paris was liberated on Aug. 25, 1944.”
Though the event took place at the D-Day landing site, according to the American Battle Monuments Commission, the anniversary event commemorated “all who were part of the Allied landings.”
The cemetery holds a commemorative event every year, but this anniversary in particular was historically significant. Patrick Russell is an oral historian, lawyer, and founder of the Making History Project, a nonprofit dedicated to collecting oral histories of veterans. Russell, who attended the D-Day event, noted that due to the advanced age of WWII veterans who are between 98 and 100 years old, this anniversary will likely be the last with WWII veterans in attendance.
The enduring fraternity of service
Richard “Dale” Cremisio attended the anniversary in memory of Kitchen, alongside a group of other veterans funded by nonprofit organization, Veterans Back to Normandy. This organization funds trips to honor WWII veterans on visits to Normandy, France.
Cremisio had met and befriended Kitchen over years of attending the annual 82nd Airborne Convention.
“All those years, I thought, ‘I’m not worthy [to speak to the WWII veterans]. But then we said, the hell with it,” Cremisio said of himself and his fellow veterans from the 82nd Airborne Division. “We went over and asked them, ‘What was your career like?’”
Eventually, Kitchen and Cremisio began speaking by phone every few days and Cremisio would make the drive from his home in Blacksburg, South Carolina, to Fayetteville to visit Kitchen about every other week. During these visits, Cremisio slowly learned more about Kitchen’s military service.
Holding space
According to his obituary, Kitchen, “served with U.S. Marines and the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division where he fought in the WWII, Korean and Vietnam wars,” and “received numerous awards and medals including Master Parachute, Master Aviator, the Distinguished Flying Cross, 8 Air Medals, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.”
In an oral history interview conducted with Russell of the Making History Project, Kitchen recounted the challenges and dangers he faced while on the war front such as near-death encounters and long, dangerous nights in Okinawa, Japan.
Russell said by holding space for remembrance of veterans’ lives and experiences through events like the 80th D-Day anniversary and oral histories, citizens honor their sacrifice both in wartime and years later.
In memoriam of Kitchen
The anniversary event featured a remembrance ceremony for Kitchen, where Cremisio distributed portraits of Kitchen and customized challenge coins, a military tradition in which one receives a coin in honor of acts of service or valor. At the request of Kitchen’s family, Cremisio also brought Kitchen’s paratrooper parachute cord bracelet to the ceremony as a symbolic gesture. Cremisio considered it an honor to attend the event on behalf of his friend.
At Kitchen’s passing, most didn’t know his name wasn’t actually Sam, Cremisio said. Kitchen assumed the nickname “Sam” as his call sign in flight school early in his decades-long military career spanning 1943 to 1977. “Sam” was short for “Sam Catchem,” after the Dick Tracy 1930s comic strip sidekick. The nickname stuck.
Kitchen’s long-held military nickname illuminated his commitment to military service throughout his life to his recent passing in May.
Cremisio said Kitchen was often the most “tight-lipped” of the 82nd Airborne WWII veterans who would frequent conventions. At least one member of Kitchen’s family agreed with this assessment.
“He was all-military,” said Denise Hall, Kitchen’s stepdaughter and a Fayetteville resident. “But I don’t think any of his children knew the depth of the medals he had. We all knew he was in the three wars, we knew he flew a helicopter, but that’s about it.”
Historical legacies
Kitchen was not alone in his silent approach to the subject of his military service. It can be hard for veterans of any era to discuss the challenges and complexities of their experiences. Oral history interviews such as those conducted by Russell can provide a space more neutral or comfortable for veterans to share their memories. As more and more WWII veterans approach centenarian status, these passed-down experiences in the form of oral histories become even more critical.
“The oral histories of WWII soldiers are important for people to engage with as they humanize history and make it real,” Russell said. “Instead of simply thinking about historical events in a vacuum as a collection of dates and places, through oral history, you can be on the ground and hear what it looked and felt like to be there.”
Though many will never know what it looks and feels like to be on a war front, the impact of those who do offers an important link to our nation’s history. The 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings illuminates the ways in which those who fought and supported the war effort in WWII made sacrifices on behalf of something much larger than themselves.
When Kitchen raised his hand to swear into the U.S. military at 16 years old in 1943, he had no idea what the outcome would be, either for himself or the war at large.
But his service and personal sacrifice helped establish the foundation for a future that would far outlast him. And his story, alongside those of veterans after him, encourages each generation to live in honor of that legacy.
Read CityView Magazine’s “The Military Issue” July e-edition here.
