81 years, 6 months after D-Day...
Emailing the website from Connecticut, USA, in 2025, Heather Cappabianca née Smyth wrote >
Good Afternoon,
I have been writing a biography about a family member and came across your excellent web site.
While reading Muir Adair’s account, I came across a paragraph in Chapter 5 and immediately recognized a description of my father, Corporal William Smyth. To clarify, he was a Corporal in the U.S. Army (not a Ranger) when he arrived with the 149th AA Operation Detachment stationed at Weston-super-Mare. He was assigned as one of five liaison personnel to a composite British unit, landing with them on Omaha Beach on D-Day. The physical description also matches, he was 5″7 and of slight build.
He did survive the landing and rejoined his detachment, progressing through France, Belgium and Germany with the 9th Tactical Air Command (TAC), the 49th Brigade and the 1st Army. He attained the rank of Sargent and received the British Military Medal from Field Marshall Sir Bernard Montgomery for his actions on D-Day.
With your permission, I would like to include the quoted paragraph noted below in the biography with applicable citation. Please note the biography is actually about the corporal’s father but includes information about the next generation. I look forward to hearing from you.
Kindest regards
We replied immediately, delighted to have heard from a descendent of one who had been part of the team landing on Omaha Beach. Heather’s email has been added as a footnote to Muir Adair’s Chapter 5:
Even 81 years after D-Day, this website still serves those gallant men and brings them together in new ways.