HONORING THE HEROES OF THE LONGEST DAY : D-Day Notebook

Veterans’ chow: In Arromanches, the center of the British observances Monday, protests by thousands of British veterans caused bar and restaurant owners to reverse a ruling by authorities to close down cafes at 2 p.m. as part of the ceremonies. While the edict by Major Jean Paul Le Conte was meant to honor D-Day guests, most bar and restarateurs complained that the thousands of veterans would have no place to eat or drink.

A comedian’s recall: Bob Hope was back at Normandy aboard the Queen Elizabeth II cruise liner, carrying veterans for a D-Day observance, telling some of the same jokes that served him so well through World War II. His own D-Day memory: “I was doing a show at a camp at Van Nuys when the news about D-Day came, so I changed the show and made it more serious,” he said aboard the QE2.

Medic: Five D-Day veterans who parachuted into Normandy nursed minor injuries Monday, with one hospitalized for tests for back pains. Earl W. Draper, 70, of Inverness, Fla., had a rough landing near Sainte-Mere-Eglise on Sunday after his main parachute tangled and he was forced to use a smaller emergency chute during a re-enactment of D-Day paratroop jumps. “He doesn’t have any fractures,” said Guy Adam, a hospital spokesman in Caen. “He’s suffering from trauma to the spinal column, but he doesn’t have any neurological problems.” Draper’s family is back home and he will be flown back soon--lying down, Adam said.

Bad flashbacks: Memories of war triggered by the D-Day celebrations could plunge veterans and their families into depression, some British psychologists say. Elderly soldiers subjected to constant media bombardment of the anniversary may suffer sudden swings in mood not realizing the underlying cause of their distress. “People could find themselves with nightmares, strong intrusive memories or find themselves likely to burst into tears,” said Ian Robbins, a clinical psychologist. A survey of 1,000 World War II vets found:

50% still troubled by memories

20% suffer severe signs of stress

Quotes

“You completed your mission here. But the mission of freedom goes on; the battle continues. The longest day is not yet over.”

--President Clinton

“I think this is our common victory over fascism, and we are not simply Americans, Russians, Brits and Canadians. We are inhabitants of the Planet Earth. We are the crew of one large spacecraft.”

--Gen. Dmitry Volkogonov, Russian military historian