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Above: State trooper Matt Bowers, left, and Josh Delos of Hagaman try to corral three American woodcock chicks from the middle of Route 126 in the town of Perth on Thursday. They were eventually reunited with their mother. Right: State trooper Matt Bowers carries an American woodcock chick to safety. Woodcocks are known for their rhythmically rocking their bodies forward and back, as well as their “peent” calls.

A daring rescue

A local Northville student is presenting an in-depth D-Day presentation chronicling the history of the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army during World War II, ahead of the 81st anniversary of the Allies invasion of Normandy.

Freshman Dane Roberts has researched World War II history for four years. During his presentation on Thursday for social studies teacher John Karbowski’s 10th grade Global History class, he was clad in a full reenactment uniform as a staff sergeant.

“I would have been in charge of 12 soldiers, so not very many,” he said during the presentation. “It’s an NCO rank — It’s called an NCO, non-commissioned officer, so I didn’t go to school or anything in the army to be a combat leader or anything like that, but I have been in the army long enough that I got promoted to be an NCO.”

On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces invaded Normandy to liberate Europe from Nazi control. Landing in the early hours of the morning, soldiers came under heavy enemy fire, but were able to establish beachheads at five landing sites. However, the Allies sustained at least 10,000 casualties, with 4,414 confirmed dead.

Roberts’ interest in World War II history began when he was very young, stemming from his interest in planes. His great-grandfather, Master Sgt. James Doherty, served in the 713th heavy bomber squadron working on aircraft in Great Britain. Roberts hopes to attend a U.S. service academy after high school.

“I’m hoping to go to one of the military academies ... either West Point, the Naval Academy or the Air Force Academy,” he said. “That’s really my dream, [to] become an officer in one of the branches.”

Roberts’ presentation included highlighting many of the 101st’s accomplishments, including securing Utah Beach on D-Day and liberating the concentration camps of Kaufering, Dachau, and other subcamps. The division also captured Eagle’s Nest, Adolf Hitler’s personal vacation home.

Roberts additionally explained each part of his uniform during the presentation, particularly about his jacket.

“This jacket kind of looks a little worn and dark,” he said. “That’s because it was treated with a chemical called CC-2, which gas proofs this jacket. When gas touches your skin, it gives you chemical burns, so having this jacket treated with CC-2, which it actually is, makes it waterproof, but it also means it’s gasproof.”

Karbowski said he was impressed with Roberts’ presentation.

“Unbelievable,” he said. “I was joking with him beforehand, I said next year when he’s in my class and we get to World War II, I might have to step aside and let him teach because of the amount of knowledge that he has. I was so impressed, unbelievably impressed, especially for someone his age.”

Students expressed their interest in the presentation after Roberts was finished.

“The commitment with everything was really impressive, and just you could see the passion and how much he enjoys what he does,” sophomore Ava Daum said. “I think that’s extremely impressive. When he went over the background of what troop it was and what they did, I thought that was extremely interesting.”

Roberts said he hopes his presentation brings awareness to students about the sacrifice soldiers made for the price of freedom.

“The thing is, I think that most kids you know today, they don’t know [or] they have no idea what the sacrifice that those pretty immediate ancestors made,” he said. “I just think it’s really important to make people aware of all the things that we have today. What that took, why we have the freedoms we do today.”

Music will ring out Wednesday from First Presbyterian Church in Broadalbin as Gordon Thomas Ward performs a fundraising concert in support of the Robert W. Chambers Mansion & Park Inc.

Ward, a singer-songwriter, has been compared to popular artists from the 1970s including Dan Fogelberg and Jackson Browne.

Profits from the event will go toward restoring the mansion, as an anonymous source covered the cost of Ward’s........

© The Leader Herald