I consider myself somewhat of a World War II expert, especially when it comes to the D-Day liberation of France. (A Frenchman living in Normandy once told me they do did not consider D-Day an invasion, rather, a liberation and that’s how I should refer to it.)
I read Loran Smith’s June 2 article published in The Citizen (“June 6 — A day to remember”) with keen interest. That is, until I reached the point where Mr. Smith started talking about Mr. Howard Manoian, “one of the most interesting veterans I have known …”
He continues by saying he has, in fact, recorded conversations with Mr. Manoian and have presented these recordings to the UGA library.
Mr. Manoian had claimed for many, many years to be a paratrooper and member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 82 Airborne Division. He claimed he parachuted into St. Mere Eglise on D-Day. He tells a long twisted tale of his Normandy exploits and as a result has been on countless documentaries.
The truth is, he was an impostor. He never was a member of the 505 PIR nor did he parachute into Normandy. Rather, he came by boat days later. The Boston Herald Tribune did an expose on Mr. Manoian a few years ago and refuted most of his claims.
That’s all I will say about Mr. Manoian. He died four years ago and, although I disagree with his charade, he did, in fact, serve his country honorably in Europe — just not as a D-Day paratrooper. May his soul and the souls of all veterans rest in peace.
My father was a paratrooper during the war. He was real proud of the fact and resented others portraying themselves as “troopers.”
Please pass this information to Mr. Smith and the UGA library.
Mike Thomas
Peachtree City, Ga.
