Interviewed by

Sarah Wall and Evie Rose

"And that was the most frightening part of it all ... because there was no where

to go, you couldn't run anywhere."

~ Ralph Cox (12:40)

Ralph Cox's Story:
The veterans from WW2 fought with the allies against Nazi Germany. They exemplify bravery that all Americans should recognize and respect. Ralph Cox is a 94 year old World War 2 veteran who grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. In the early 1940s, tension about the war was rising. When Mr. Cox left his hometown in 1942 to fight in the United States Army against Germany, he was eager to serve his country and uphold his father’s legacy of serving in the army and along with his 3 brothers.

Mr. Cox left home at the age of 19 and travelled to Virginia, where he completed basic training and then went on to officer training school which allowed him to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S Army. Eventually, after travelling to Texas and California for his infantry division and combat maneuver training, he was sent to New Jersey where he met his wife for the first time. From New Jersey, Mr. Cox and his crew boarded a ship to Birmingham, England and then to Cardiff, Wales where he and his men trained for war.

Very late at night on June 2, 1944, Mr. Cox and his men were called to leave Cardiff and head across the English Channel where they waited for orders to land on the beach in France. As the men were leaving the boats, they were faced with heavy fire from German bombers who were trying to complicate the landing process. The 90th Infantry Division landed and fought the Germans in Normandy for more than a month.

After the battle of Normandy, the allies broke out and then travelled through several French cities until they reached Fontainebleau, a suburb of Paris. After reaching Fontainebleau, Mr. Cox and his platoon aided the allies in liberating Paris from the Germans. In the war, Mr. Cox’s main job was to provide transportation for his platoon; driving them to and from battle sites. Mr. Cox and his platoon had journeyed through vast countrysides until they reached Germany and Czechoslovakia, when the war in Europe ended.

Mr. Cox recounted that those weeks after the war had ended were the worst because the soldiers were told that they would have to fight against the Japanese and so they were held in Germany for training. However, after the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, they were no longer needed in Japan and finally sent home.

Post-WW2, Mr. Cox returned to the U.S.A and stayed in the officers reserve corps until deciding to attend Babson College in Massachusetts. After college and after helping the army identify bodies for burials, Mr. Cox resigned from the Army to start a new chapter in his life. Mr. Cox received both the Legion of Honour and Bronze Star Medal for his service. Mr. Cox is now retired and lives in Dennis, Massachusetts and is a Deacon.

We thank Mr. Ralph Cox for his dedicated and valued service to our country, and his bravery and loyalty while fighting.