Roy Creek served with several different units but really remembers the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment [Annotator's Note: Creek served with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] because it was the first unit he went to combat with. Creek joined the Army in 1940. He acquired a commission through ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps] training in college. He got a reserve commission as a second lieutenant in the Army. He entered into active duty as soon as possible after graduation. He was happy to serve as an active duty soldier. He signed up because the United States was going to get involved in World War 2. Creek was sent to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Fort Huachuca was the home of the 25th Infantry Regiment. All the troops were colored [Annotator's Note: an ethnic descriptor historically used for Black people in the United States] except the officers. It was a proud unit and they were career soldiers. Creek left Fort Huachuca in February 1943 and trained with the parachute troops. He wanted to be a part of the elite members of the airborne. Creek only fought with the parachute troops. He was stationed in England for three months prior to Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944] and their commitment to the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. He was unable to see much of England. The British people were friendly. The British people only had three objections to the American soldiers. They felt they were overpaid, oversexed, and over here. He made many friends among people in the British Army. Creek attained the rank of Captain. You were the boss of the troops when you were Captain. The troops were your responsibility. Any rank above that and you were detached from the troops. Being a Captain was the best job in the Army. He wanted to be a company commander. He knew he could effectively operate at the level of Captain. You had to be able to do what the troops did. You wanted the troops to respect you.

Roy Creek commanded two infantry companies. He commanded E Company, 25th Infantry Regiment [Annotator's Note: Company E, 2nd Battalion, 25th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division], an all-black group, and he also commanded E Company, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment [Annotator's Note: Company E, 2nd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division]. He commanded highly elite troops both times. The troops were physically fit and did their jobs well. Creek had a good relationship with every man he commanded. He knew every man. He made it a point to know every man and help him if he was able. It was his responsibility to get the best out of every man. In the 25th Infantry Regiment, Creek's first commander was Captain Reeves Booth [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling; unable to identify]. Creek, fresh out of college, was uncertain how to put his uniform on when he was sent to active duty. Captain Booth treated him as a fellow officer, and with respect. Booth showed him how to be an Army officer. The next commanding officer was Braiden C. Waters [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling; unable to identify], a reserve officer called to active duty during World War 2. Waters was a Captain. Waters was a model for Creek to look up to. Waters was a great commander and highly successful. Next was Lieutenant Colonel Charles Timmes [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant Colonel Charles J. Timmes was commander of the 2nd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division], a quiet-spoken, but highly effective commander. Timmes had all the troops' respect. Timmes kept everyone under him on track. Next was McPherson [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling; unable to identify], a rough and tough commander. Creek enjoyed his association with the battalion commander because he was the battalion executive officer [Annotator's Note: also referred to as XO; the second in command of a unit or ship]. McPherson was aggressive, efficient, and led by example. McPherson was found where leadership was needed the worst. McPherson was always getting wounded because he was always in the fight. McPherson was a great leader. Next was Colonel Maloney [Annotator's Note: Lieutenant Colonel Arthur A. Maloney], executive officer of the 507. He was Creek's commanding officer for the first ten days at Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. Maloney showed the greatest characteristics of a commander. He was the greatest combat commander. He was courageous, considerate, and tolerant of other people's mistakes. He had great judgment, and he possessed all of the traits of leadership. Colonel Raff [Annotator's Note: US Army Colonel Edson Duncan Raff] was a brilliant man. He commanded the first parachute infantry to see combat, the 509 [Annotator's Note: 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment] in North Africa. He was successful and a strong leader but he was intolerant of others' mistakes and was rash. He was quick to take disciplinary actions in a fit of frenzied judgment. Creek only respected him for his efficiency. Harsh treatment was expected if a mistake was made under Colonel Raff. Creek was not being overly critical about him. Colonel Edward Smith, later General Smith, was a real pleasure to be around. Creek and General Smith were close friends. General Jack "Smiley" Tolson [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General John J. Tolson, III] was easy to get along with and go golfing with. He was highly respected by the troops. He was an upfront, strong leader. There were other commanding officers, but the above list covers several of them.

Roy Creek thought they were well prepared for Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. The physical training was outstanding. All the men knew their jobs and were prepared to move into another job if the need arose. The books written about the 507 [Annotator's Note: 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] that criticized the readiness were not justified. The regimental commander of the 507 was captured [Annotator's Note: US Army Colonel George V. "Zip" Millett, Jr. was captured on 9 June 1944 near Amfreville, France and became a prisoner of war]. He reached the end of the line. He could have had all the troops annihilated or surrendered them. Creek thought he did the humane thing by surrendering. The commander regretted that until the day he died. They put a lot into their training. They made a practice jump and then had a 36 kilometer forced march right after. They were ready to fight when they got there and the troops performed well. Creek knew of no one in the 507 that fell short of fulfilling a mission. Many of the men lost their lives performing their duties. All of the briefings before the Normandy jump were outstanding. They had sand tables [Annotator's Note: sand tables are used to make terrain models for military planning and war gaming] to help identify everything once troops landed on the ground. Good maps were also available. There was a misfortune in the landings due to other circumstances, not due to the briefings. There were three major objectives, two of which were the seizures of bridges and the other the seizure of Sainte-Mere-Eglise [Annotator's Note: Sainte-Mère-Église, France]. All objectives were accomplished quickly. The men that landed at Utah Beach [Annotator's Note: Utah Beach was one of the two American landing beaches in Normandy, France] were not worried about the Germans. The German Army never reached Utah Beach. German officers said the primary reason for the successful invasion was the opposition and the courageous reaction by the airborne troops who were everywhere to oppose them. The situation on Omaha [Annotator's Note: Omaha Beach was one of the two American landing beaches in Normandy, France] failed because the Germans were always there and ready in their pillboxes. Defenses spread too thin were weak. You can have weak defenses and strong reserves. The reserves did not work in Normandy because they could not reach the beaches to be effective. The landing at Omaha Beach was difficult because the Germans were in prepared positions ready to defend. Utah was defended, but compared to Omaha it was lightly defended. The reinforcements never reached Utah because of the parachute troops. The Germans spent all their resources hunting the parachute troops. The parachute troops were still fighting when the men from the beaches caught up to them. Once all the forces were together they became a force to be reckoned with as they moved across the peninsula over the next 37 days.

Roy Creek remembers the chaos at Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. Every man had a different experience. They were being strongly opposed by antiaircraft fire. The Germans made it difficult but they did not hit the aircraft Creek was in. It was chaotic and highly dangerous. There was a loss of control. Changing flights in the drop zones caused planes to almost have head-on collisions. They overflew drop zones. They had to keep changing altitudes. Creek had a great loss of confidence during the changing of flight patterns. Creek jumped from the plane because he had to. He thought it would be safer on the ground than it was in the air. He knew he would not find the people he was supposed to. Creek landed in the water. He had to fight to get his gear off so he would not drown. He was lucky that he survived his first combat landing. If anyone had opposed the landing he would not be here today. He was of no value to anyone in his first hour until he was out of the water. He had no troops to command once he got out of the water. He took over troops that had no commanding officer and accomplished what he was supposed to do. Everything went according to plan. He took command and accomplished the division's mission of capturing a bridge. Creek commanded random soldiers because he never found his own men. Everyone did their best, even at the risk of losing their lives. The troops at all levels knew superior officers. Troops know they need to listen to officers even if they do not know that officer. As an officer in this situation, you have to take over like you have the authority. The troops know their obligation is to do what the officer tells them to do, and they must do it willingly. The troops would be advised to go along with the commanding officer even if they did not agree with him until they were in a position to say it was not working. If this was true, then someone could look into it to make sure. If you are the superior officer you better take charge or go hide if you are not going to accept the responsibility of your rank and position.

Roy Creek never met any French people until years after the invasion. Chef-du-Pont [Annotator's Note: Chef-du-Pont, France] was a beautiful little French town. He never saw any people in Chef-du-Pont on D-Day [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. The French appreciated the Americans for getting rid of the Germans. They were glad the Americans restored their freedom and individual liberties. The French people were friendly. All the people at Normandy were friendly when Creek went back to visit. D-Day arrived and everyone had a job to do. Creek did not find any of his men when he landed. He spent 37 days in Normandy and never found his company [Annotator's Note: Company E, 2nd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division]. A lot of his men were captured. He felt a great deal of responsibility for those who were captured that were in his company. He met with many of the men after the war to tell them what happened. The POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] felt a great deal of guilt for not doing their job. He told them not to feel guilty for being a prisoner. He attended all the reunions and tried to convince those who were prisoners that it was not their fault. Only 17 out of 125 went back to England after Normandy. All of the companies were hard hit. Some men returned to England later and stayed in the hospitals and then went back to active duty. Others returned to the United States. Every soldier in the Army showed a high level of responsibility to do his job. All the soldiers moved forward to face whatever dangers were in front of them. He never met a POW that did not have guilt. The POWs had nothing to do with their surrender.

Roy Creek remembered taking the bridge at Chef-du-Pont [Annotator's Note: Chef-du-Pont, France]. The bridge was intact when they took it. It was a bigger bridge than the one that is there now. It was a concrete and brick bridge. The new bridge was made of metal. The water was all the way to the road. The new bridge was different from the one he took and is further from the location of the original bridge. That bridge was big enough for everyone who came from Utah Beach [Annotator's Note: Utah Beach was one of the two American landing beaches in Normandy, France] to cross. Creek went to La Fiere [Annotator’s Note: La Fiere, France] from Chef-du-Pont. At eight o'clock in the morning on D plus one [Annotator's Note: "D plus one" means the day after an amphibious invasion invasion], 500 men marched into Chef-du-Pont. Creek gave a rundown of what was firmly under their control. He went to report to Colonel Maloney [Annotator's Note: US Army Colonel Arthur A. Maloney] in La Fiere. He wanted to take the men down the railroad tracks. He came to a junction on the roads where he met with Lieutenant Harvey [Annotator's Note: unable to verify identity]. Creek knew Harvey well. Harvey was told to meet Creek and to show him where to meet with Colonel Maloney. Creek had not slept in 48 hours; not since reveille [Annotator's Note: reveille is a signal sounded on a bugle or drum to wake military personnel] on the fifth [Annotator's Note: 5 June 1944]. Some of the troops took naps after they captured Chef-du-Pont. Harvey told him to get some sleep. They posted guards to keep a lookout for Germans. He rolled up in the parachutes and went to sleep. He got a couple of hours of sleep. Harvey woke him up. Creek told Sergeant Ricks [Annotator's Note: unable to verify identity] to assemble the troops and they moved on. When they arrived at La Fiere, Creek met with Colonel Maloney. Maloney gave orders to disperse the men. Creek handed command over to Lieutenant Aimes [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling; unable to verify identity]. Aimes dispersed the men. They had to make sure they had ample security around the area. Maloney said 300 men from the 507 [Annotator's Note: 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] were in the area and they had a few automatic weapons, some mortars, and other supporting weapons like bazookas [Annotator's Note: man-portable recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher weapon]. Maloney said they would distribute the weapons equally among the three companies. Maloney broke the men into three groups of 100 men each. Each group had its own area. Creek was in charge of the men he brought from Chef-du-Pont. Brakenach [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling; unable to verify identity], Ray [Annotator's Note: unable to verify identity], and Creek each had their own unit and distributed the weapons equally. Once they reported back to Maloney, they were told they were going to cross the bridge, the causeway at La Fiere. Maloney told them the 90th Division [Annotator's Note: 90th Infantry Division] was going to go through them to cross the bridge. They were told they would be at La Fiere as a reserve group if they were needed. They were told the 325 [Annotator's Note: 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] should be able to take the bridge, but if the 325 faltered, then Creek's men were to step in to help take the causeway. They were to continue the attack to La Monte, the little town where Colonel Timmes [Annotator's Note: later US Army Major General Charles J. Timmes] was, in "Timmes' Orchard." Bob Ray [Annotator's Note: unable to verify identity] was supposed to go across the bridge first, then Brakenach, and then Creek. The 325 did not cross effectively. They did not get enough troops across the causeway to get to La Monte. They needed help.

Roy Creek knew they did not get enough troops across the bridge [Annotator's Note: the causeway in La Fiere, France]. There was a lot of artillery flying all around the area. It was a killing ground all around there. Creek looked to make sure he had all the best routes. The artillery barrage was the worst he saw during the entire war. He jumped in a foxhole with a young soldier. The young man was scared to death. Creek told him if they stayed down in the foxhole, their chances of getting hit were very slim. Creek kept talking to him to help bolster him up while they were there. The artillery fire let up and Creek got out of the foxhole. He reached down to thank the young man for sharing his foxhole. He saw the young man had a hole in the top of his head where an artillery shell hit him. The kid was dead. He was unaware that the kid had been hit until he was out of the foxhole. You will never forget when someone next to you dies. He went to Fort Riley [Annotator's Note: Fort Riley, Kansas] and talked to the young kids there. A kid asked him how he got over his friend being hit next to him in the line of duty. Creek told them you will never get over it. You will never forget something like that. He will never forget the kid he shared the foxhole with. He can look at you and see that kid. War is a dirty business.

Roy Creek recalls a misunderstanding surrounding Bob Ray [Annotator's Note: unable to verify identity] and the 325 [Annotator's Note: 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division]. Creek knew that two officers made it across the bridge [Annotator's Note: the causeway in La Fiere, France] and the troops did not follow them. The two officers went on their own with their own initiative. Bob Ray took his unit with him and picked up 325 guys. A lot of the 325 had jumped into the mud and off the road to avoid the machine gunfire. They were poorly led. General Gavin [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General James Maurice Gavin] relieved their commander on the spot because he said he was sick and could not lead the men across the bridge through the artillery fire. Creek was up there, too. Always anticipate the enemy will be back. You cannot relax or let your guard down. The enemy will try to regain what they lost. You need to keep moving forward. Once you get where you are going you need to secure yourself and be able to repel a counterattack. You cannot ever quit because the enemy will come at you every time. Creek crossed the causeway after it was captured. A lot of men were killed there that day. They lined up all the dead and there were hundreds of them. Graves registration [Annotator's Note: Graves registration were units of the Army Quartermaster Corps charged with collecting and burying the dead] came and hauled them away. They stacked up the dead there. Men were not going to continue if they had to step over 15 to 20 dead men. They were going to envision themselves lying there. There must have been a better way besides the causeway. The Germans had it very well fortified. If the Germans had had enough ammunition, the causeway would have never been captured. General Gavin was ordered to take the bridge. If he had to go down to the bridge and take it himself with his rifle, he would have. Gavin was a fearless leader. People criticized him for not caring about other men's lives. Gavin was there, he exposed himself, and everyone knew he would go into danger first. He would have led those attacks without blinking an eye. Gavin never lost the respect of his troops. He was willing to go into the same danger as his troops. Gavin was too critical of other people. He needed to accept the fact that not everyone had the heart he had in battle. Creek tried not to criticize those who were half dead with fright. He would say you need to help that person. Gavin, on the other hand, would have said kick him in the butt and get them going. Gavin was highly critical of the 507 [Annotator's Note: 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division]. He did not think the 507 was well trained or well led. Creek thought he was too critical, and degrading, and took credit away from people who deserved it. Creek wished he would not have done that, but he respected Gavin.