OKC VA pays final tribute to decorated WWII Veteran
PRESS RELEASE
March 8, 2023
Oklahoma City , OK — OKLAHOMA CITY — In 1943, James (Jim) Harvard London graduated Rocky Oklahoma High School and at 18 years old, traveled to Fort Sill to raise his right hand, enlist in the U.S. Army as an Infantryman and head off to war. London, a native Oklahoman, was a young kid when he joined the Army and as he so proudly stated, “We didn't call ourselves Infantryman, we were called Riflemen back in those days.”
Now, 97-year-old Army Veteran, Lieutenant Jim London, is in the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Health Care System and has his awards, decorations and military WWII baseball hat is proudly on display near his bedside. Even though London’s health is failing, he can vividly recall the events surrounding his time in the Army and his efforts during World War II.
London said after his enlistment at Fort Sill, he went to Georgia for training and then on to Pittsburg, Penn. That was his last stop in the United States before heading across “the pond” to Liverpool, England where his unit, The Iron Men of the Mets formed up to begin their assault into Normandy, France.
London recalls those days very well. “We traveled from Liverpool to Normandy by ship and we were the following wave of forces to support the Normandy invasion. We were considered the D+27 assault and the 2nd landing of the beaches at Normandy.”
London’s unit was the 378th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division, and the American Soldiers of that Division earned the nickname, “The Iron Men of the Metz” because of their bravery exuded throughout those monumental battle sites. Historical documents found on the website Iron Men of the Metz state that the 379th and 378th Infantry Regiments endured more than 3 months of hardened days and nights. The battle at Metz was a fortress city and became a nightmare for General George S. Patton’s forces. Some of those fortresses remained active until the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. In the fall of 1944, Gen. Patton’s Third Army arrived within miles of the city after chasing German forces from the Normandy beaches following the D-Day invasion on June 6. Patton ordered American forces, including the 95th Infantry Division that ultimately included Lt. Jim London, to attack Metz on Nov. 7. The German commander surrendered to the Americans forces on Nov. 22 after both sides suffered heavy casualties.
London stated that he remembers those days as if it was yesterday. When asked how he can recall something from 1944, his reply was surreal, “It’s not hard to remember the events of something that significant because you’re scared to death.”
London said, “We fought through Omaha Beach, Metz, Battle of the Bulge and the Saar River valley. When London was told, “Thank you for your service.” His response was, “It was my pleasure.”
Here at the OKC VA, Lt. Jim London’s body is failing, and he is on his final journey. His wife of 71 years, Caseylee London, wanted to make sure that people did not forget the Greatest Generation of Soldier who fought for so many nations’ freedoms.
“That era of service member sacrificed so much for so many people and we owe it to those men and women to never forget the price they paid for our freedom,”said Caseylee.
Our eternal gratitude goes out to all the allied forces who fought during WWII, the 95th Infantry Division and “The Iron Men of the Metz”, which is still used by the active-duty unit in U.S. Army. According to the National WWII Museum and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs statistics, currently there are 167,284 WWII Veterans still alive and we are losing 180 of them each day.
Mrs. London also wanted to express her gratitude to the medical staff and faculty of the OKC VA Health Care System for their dedication and compassion they have displayed to the London family during these final days.
“The VA has taken such great care of Jim and other Veterans in these hospital beds. Jim isn’t the only Veteran in this hospital or on this floor and they have been so wonderful to our family throughout this journey,” Mrs. London said, “Going through this process has been tough and the VA staff have been incredibly professional, caring and kind to me and my family—it’s been a comfort to have their support and a huge weight off my shoulders.”
Mr. James (Jim) London died at 1240hrs on March 28, 2023.
For more stories about “The Greatest Generation” visit the Digital Collections of the National WWII Museum at the link below:
https://www.ww2online.org/vocabulary/military-training-and-instruction
For more information about “The Iron Men of the Metz” click the link below: