Proud Cousins, Jim Ameen and Eric Montgomery, Graveside with Amin in Normandy 

James Ameen, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and Eric Montgomery, originally from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, last saw each other in 1975.  Their last contact was at a funeral for the very man whose unmistakable picture would bring them together again.  Twenty-nine years later, on the sands of Miami Beach, Florida, their passion for honoring family heroes of WWII would reunite the cousins and renew family ties.  This amazing portion of a remarkable story was the preamble to setting the cousins on course to change history.  In May of 2009, the two will journey to another beach, better known to the world as Omaha, to honor a fallen great uncle killed on D-Day and to bring to a conclusion a five year quest.   

Their reunion began with Montgomery attending a living history display hosted by Ameen’s Second Infantry Division WWII reenacting group of Hollywood, Florida.  Montgomery, a living historian of the era himself attended as a spectator.  He was hoping to meet veterans who may have known a great uncle, Corporal Steven Simco, who trained at the Miami Beach Army Aircorps training center in 1943.  Armed only with his photo album filled with the history of his family, Montgomery began to show his album to the wool clad suntanned soldiers and every veteran in attendance.  Karma soon intervened.

One photo in particular caught the eye of the reenacting group's medic.  Montgomery’s father, his great-grandfather, and step-grandfather J.B. Isbir, were all pictured together.  Clearly visible in the photo were J.B.’s crutches, consequences of being stricken with polio.  “Who is the guy on the crutches?” the medic asked.   Montgomery replied, “He was my step grand-pap, J.B.”  The medic replied, “J.B. Isbir, of McKeesport Pennsylvania?”  Montgomery asked, “Yes, how did you know that?” 

Ameen’s and Montgomery’s focus quickly turned to two brothers of J.B., Amin and Esper, whose portraits were on the very next page, each dressed in their Navy uniforms.  “Did you know that Amin was killed in Normandy?” asked Ameen.  As to how no one knew and from that moment Montgomery and Ameen were on a mission to uncover the past.

Not knowing who to ask or where to turn Montgomery scoured the internet for any information on what may have happened to Amin on D-Day.   A few weeks after reuniting with his cousin, Montgomery found a web site that highlighted the 5^th Special Engineers Brigade in Normandy.  A photo of Amin’s name inscribed upon an Omaha Beach memorial was the first clue as to what happened.   The inscription read, “In honor of the valiant Americans of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade who gave their lives in the assault on this beach on 6 June 1944.”  A story on that web site also described how two sailors and their commander were killed as they departed a landing craft. Could one of the sailors have been Amin?  An email sent to the contributor of the picture rebounded back to Montgomery.

Undaunted, Montgomery kept looking. “That initial finding led me to the American Battle Monuments Commission web site.  I found Amin’s name and his date of death listed as June 8^th.  Something just didn’t seem right.  If he had been one of those men killed in the landing craft, then how could the date of his death be June 8^th?  A thousand questions and just as many ideas crossed my mind.  I immediately contacted Jim and we both agreed that something was amiss.  We at least knew for sure he was killed in Normandy on Omaha Beach, but how?”

The 5th Special Engineers Brigade Memorial Overlooking "Easy Red" Beach

Questions Answered

On June 5^th 2005, the day before the anniversary of D-Day, Montgomery reached out to Amin’s sister Della for help.  “The last time I saw Aunt Della I was about 11 years old, when J.B. died.  She was so open and friendly even after nearly 30 years.  After exchanging greetings and family information, I asked her about Amin and if she knew what had happened to him on D-Day.  She told me that she didn’t have the nerve to ask yet knew someone who would definitely know.  ‘Call this fella, Joe Vaghi.  He was there and he’ll tell you everything you want to know.’  I was stunned”, said Montgomery.  “Until then, I had never met a D-Day veteran, but when Aunt Della said that this man would know everything about what happened to Amin, I just couldn’t believe my ears.” 

Within moments Montgomery phoned Mr. Vaghi. “The next two hours were absolutely remarkable.  I reached a now retired Lt. Commander Joseph Vaghi on the first ring almost as though he was expecting my call.  I introduced myself as Amin Isbir’s great nephew and suddenly the phone went silent.  Not knowing the extent of what he knew about my great uncle or anything at all about Mr. Vaghi, I feared that I may have struck a nerve.  After further reassuring, he immediately opened up to me.  He could not believe that after all this time someone was asking about Amin and what happened to him.  Although not wanting to rush into things out of respect for Mr. Vaghi, my first question was how well he may have known Amin.  ‘I knew him well, very well.  He was the oldest man in my company and he knew so much about being a sailor.  We had the best company because of Ami.’  I was immediately overcome with a sense of pride.  As our conversation continued, I was to find out that Mr. Vaghi was Amin’s commanding officer and believe it or not, one of three Navy Beachmasters for the assault upon Omaha Beach.  Ensign Vaghi’s endearing way of dropping the N off of Amin’s name told me how close the two were.  From that instant I was so eager to learn more, not only about what happened that morning, but all about the men of the 6^th Naval Beach Battalion and their mission to liberate Europe.”

Montgomery documented his conversation with Vaghi in great detail.  He notes, “In the early morning hours of June 6th, 1944, Amin Isbir, the oldest sailor of the 6th Naval Beach Battalion, Platoon C-8, was onboard LCI-L #88 along with soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division and those of the 5th Special Engineers Brigade heading on an eastern course towards Omaha Beach, Easy Red One sector.  An LCI-L or Landing Craft Infantry Large carried about 200 troops.  At 7:35 in the morning the ship approached the shore.  Ensign Joseph Vaghi describes the moment, ‘Smooth sailing, all the way in.  About 200 yards offshore, the boat came to a halt and started disembarking the troops.’  The LCI has two ramps, one port and one starboard.  ‘All was going good and then bam, an 88mm shell exploded and took off the starboard side ramp and killed many of the soldiers in a haze of red smoke.’  Ensign Vaghi and his platoon of “Sailors Dressed as Soldiers” moved down the remaining ramp under increasing enemy fire.”  As Montgomery would find out from Vaghi, the Navy Beach Battalions were assigned to the Army during the invasion.  That fact would prove to be the origin of the Battalion’s nick name, the “Sons of Beaches” as no branch of the service would claim responsibility of the group.  A recommendation for a Unit Citation was written highlighting many of the men as well as the unit but it wasn’t approved until 2000.

Unbelievably, Vaghi’s entire C-8 platoon waded safely ashore and began to carry out their assignments of setting up medical, communication, boat repair and hydrographic duties of safely moving men and equipment on and off the beach.  Beachmaster Vaghi, shouting instructions to the liberators using a megaphone over the chaos of battle, was approached by an Army officer.  The officer asked Vaghi to use his hand held radio to call to the ship for additional equipment.  In the midst of continued shelling, machinegun and rifle fire that would rain down onto the men, the sailors did their best to fulfill their mission, all under the command of Ensign Vaghi.

A Fateful Moment

As the morning progressed on towards 8:45 AM, conditions on the beach were a living hell.  Coxswain Isbir and Ensign Vaghi were working together to clear the wounded and dead.  Moving a fallen soldier onto a stretcher, a kneeling Vaghi and a standing Isbir prepared to move the body out of the way.  Vaghi continues, “All of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion.”  Ensign Vaghi was knocked unconscious but Amin wouldn't be so lucky.  “What happened, as I later found out, was that some 5 miles from the landing beaches the Germans had a railway gun.  A shell from that gun landed nearby, hitting a jeep that flew into the air.  Your uncle was killed when that jeep landed right on top of him.  He never knew what hit him”.  Until his conversation with Montgomery, Ensign Vaghi had never shared the details about this moment with anyone. 

Moments after the explosion, Ensign Vaghi regained his senses and noticed that the explosion set another nearby jeep ablaze.  This second jeep was full of ammo, grenades, gasoline and, worst of all, was surrounded by wounded men.  At great risk to his own life, he and another man relieved the jeep from all its explosive burdens and in doing so spared the lives of all those men around it.

A few weeks later Ensign Vaghi was told by intelligence officers that the Germans targeted the location where he and Amin were by homing in on broadcasts from Vaghi's field radio back to the ship.  “How they did that, I don’t know, but that is what they told me.”  Nearly a year later and while aboard a ship in the Pacific, Ensign Vaghi was awarded the Bronze Star for saving the lives of those wounded soldiers and sailors surrounding that Jeep ablaze on D-Day morning.    

Vaghi states, “Ami told me that he felt that he would never get home again to see his ‘Little Woman’.  He was a very religious man, very smart, and knew so much about being a sailor.  He was the oldest of all the guys onboard and had the respect of all the other younger sailors.  We had the best Company because of Amin!”  Ensign Vaghi mentioned to Montgomery that Isbir liked to call him Mister Vogi and as their conversation continued, he too would call Vaghi “Vogi” by mistake.  Given the seriousness of the conversation they both laughed aloud and gained an immediate appreciation for each other. 

Montgomery continues, “When I began my research, I found that Amin’s headstone in Normandy indicated that he was killed on June 8^th, which contradicted historical fact.  I asked Ensign Vaghi if he knew of this and how such a thing could happen.”  Vaghi replied, “There simply wasn’t a way to take care of the fellows who were killed like we wanted to.  We had a job to do.  Two days later, the graves registration units tagged all of those boys Killed in Action on June 8th.”    Della was right, Joe Vaghi would provide more information than Montgomery could ever imagine.  “I pledged to Ensign Vaghi that I would do everything I could to correct Amin’s records to the actual date of his supreme sacrifice.   Little did I know what hurtles I would have to overcome.  We said our goodbyes, but I knew in my heart that we would meet in person someday.  As I hung up the phone, I recalled the beginning of the film ‘Saving Private Ryan’.  The opening scene of the invasion had such a spiritual effect on me.  I owed it to Amin and the men of the Battalion to follow through on my promise.”  

Correcting History

With a whole notebook full of details, Montgomery set upon the task of correcting Amin’s records.  “The road to set the record straight has not been easy.  Since the moment I spoke with Amin's commanding officer, so much time passed that I began to think that I would never be able to complete my quest.”  Getting to the right person in the right position took nearly 4 years for Montgomery – and that person was U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Kaspar.  On April 25^th, 2008, “I couldn't believe my ears when the lieutenant said to me, ‘this doesn't seem too difficult.’

Shortly after speaking with Lt. Cmdr. Vaghi, Montgomery contacted Senator John Warner's office in Washington D.C. thinking that a congressional order might be required to change his uncle’s records.  At that time the Senator was the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.  After 6 months of corresponding with a member of Senator Warner's staff, communication mysteriously ended.  A follow up phone call to the Senator's office revealed that his contact had resigned and all the correspondence was lost.  More than a year passed and progression with the new replacement led to another dead end.

Yet all momentum was not lost.  Veterans of the 6th Naval Beach Battalion, who were also there on D-Day morning, began to share their own memories of Amin's death.  Ken Davey, whose father Dr. J. Russell Davey, Company B's Physician, began sharing the history of the battalion on his web site, www.6thBeachBattalion.org.  Montgomery wrote a letter to Ken which then led to his introduction of Tom Beaty, a historian who is presently recording oral histories of America's WWII Veterans.  A number of the 6th Naval Beach Battalion men are featured on his web site, www.witness-to-war.org.  Two veterans in particular, Coxswain Ed Marriott and Seaman Bob Giguere speak candidly about Amin and the explosion which ended his life.  Surely, this additional evidence was all Montgomery needed to present, but to who? 

By now it was Christmas 2006 and Montgomery had the honor of meeting Lt. Cmdr. Vaghi at his home in suburban Washington.  “He and I spoke at great length regarding my great uncle for nearly two hours.  I tried my best to find out all that had happened prior to, during, and after the invasion:  training, food, towns, men in the unit, equipment they used and notable events that you can’t find in any written reference.  I was indeed blessed to have spoken to the man who best knew Amin.  Once again Vaghi said:  ‘We had the best company because of Ami.’   When he said that, tears once again filled my eyes for the great uncle I'd never met.  After the meeting I sat down and wrote the beginnings of my web site, www.soldiersandsailors.us, eager to share the story with everyone.”

In June 2007 Ameen and Montgomery had the privilege of attending the 6th Naval Beach Battalion reunion held in Bedford, Virginia.  They were able to meet many of Amin’s shipmates and collect their vivid recollections of that day.  Weeks later, Montgomery sent to each of the men a comprehensive written report of what they learned about Amin’s death ‘for the record’.   Montgomery collected the signed reports to provide documented proof of what had happened that fateful morning.  

Members of the 6^th Naval Beach Battalion

Andy Chmiel – Bob Giguere – Clyde Whirty – John Rogers

Joseph Vaghi - Curtis Fleming - Richard Onines - Torre Tobiassen - Frank Walden - Vince Kordack

June 6^th 2007 – Bedford Virginia

A few months later Montgomery had another chance meeting, this time in Washington D.C. with the Program Manager of the U.S. Air Force Missing Persons Division, MSgt. Susan L. Williams.  There is much to be said for being at the right place at the right time and October 20th, 2007 was such a day.  While escorting his Great Uncle Sgt. John Gabersek, (an Army combat medic who served in the Philippines), to the WWII Memorial, Montgomery took a detour to the newly opened Air Force Memorial overlooking the Pentagon.  Dressed in his Army uniform, the former medic and Montgomery toured this beautiful memorial.  They were approached by curious onlookers; MSgt. Williams and her family.  After introducing John to the Williams family, Montgomery asked if they would like to look at some photos of John from his early days in the Army; they were keenly interested.  Montgomery continues, “As we were looking though the album, I began to tell MSgt. Williams about my efforts to assemble enough details to warrant John the issuance of the Purple Heart and my numerous attempts to correct Amin's records.  She then told me what her position was in the Air Force and offered her help.  She placed me in contact with her Navy counterpart, a Lt. Brownlowe who she met a few weeks prior.  What a stroke of luck I thought!”

Within a few days, Montgomery called Lt. Brownlowe anxious to get one step closer to correcting Amin’s records.  After informing Brownlowe about the details regarding Amin's death, the Lieutenant said to Montgomery that the first step would be to acquire Amin’s Casualty Report from the St. Louis records center.  Once in hand they would move forward from there.  Thinking now that the goal of amending Amin’s record was finally within reach, Montgomery was hopeful, but months passed by.  After a series of emails and phone calls went unanswered, Montgomery nearly gave up.

In April 2008 Montgomery tried one last time to reach Lt. Brownlowe.   Lt. Nathan Kaspar answered the phone and stepped into the ongoing saga.  When Montgomery explained to Kaspar that he had as evidence signed testimonies from his Amin's comrades–in-arms, the Lieutenant explained that by the end of the day Amin’s records would be corrected.  “Once again, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  Lt. Kaspar said he would pull from micro-fiche Amin's DD-1300 (Report of Casualty), present the new evidence to his Commanding Officer, initiate the correction and issue a corrected casualty report.”  Lt. Kaspar was right and within hours of receiving the signed testimonies from Amin’s comrades, Amin’s corrected DD-1300 came to life nearly 64 years after his death.  “I will never forget that day,” exclaimed Montgomery.

With Amin's paperwork and story now being read into amended history, Montgomery knew there was still more work to be done.  At the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, missing from the Necrology Wall is the name of U.S. Navy Coxswain Amin Isbir.  Hopefully, with the amended report, Amin’s name will soon join the 2500 soldiers, sailors, and airmen who are listed upon the wall as those killed in action on June 6^th; D-Day. 

Lastly, placing an amended headstone over Amin’s grave in Normandy was Montgomery’s final request.    Lt. Kaspar contacted the American Battle Monuments Commission requesting a correction to Amin’s head stone.  Yet even in death, Isbir remains a Navy man under Army control.  Believe it or not, all casualty records are kept by the Army regardless of the service branch.  Lt. Kaspar submitted the transfer paperwork to the Army and soon Martha Sell of the American Battle Monuments Commission had in hand Amin’s amended Report of Casualty.  With the formalities complete, the order for the stone cutters in Normandy to begin work was given.  Montgomery praised the collaborative efforts of Kaspar and Sell, “The dedication to duty and professionalism shown by Lieutenant Kaspar and Ms. Sell exemplifies the depth of concern they have to those servicemen and women killed in action.”  

History Being Made in Normandy

“That set the stage for our trip to France”, Montgomery details.  “On February 2^nd, 2009, my heart nearly stopped as I received photos of Amin’s new headstone from Martha Sell.  I don’t have words to describe the feeling that came over me.  When you work on something for so long that carries with it the rewriting of history, you can’t imagine how moved I was, not only for me, but for Great Uncle Amin and the entire family.  In my mind, his has been a soul which has rested uneasy for 64 years.”

All that remained for Montgomery to do was arrange a date for the corrected stone to be placed.  A flurry of communications ensued between Montgomery and Dan Neese, Superintendent of the Normandy American Cemetery.  Montgomery continues, “To be present when the caretakers of the cemetery begin excavating the old stone, and then place the correct marker, is a once in a lifetime dream.  I looked at the calendar and knew that this had to take place prior to Memorial Day and most certainly prior to the 65th anniversary of the invasion.  How fitting would it be if Amin’s corrected stone be placed on Ascension Day?  There just can’t be a better day than that.”  With the blessing of Mr. Neese and his gracious staff, who are giving up their holiday to grant Montgomery’s request, (Ascension Day is a national holiday in France), Coxswain Amin Isbir’s new grave marker will be set in place on May 21^st, 2009, a fitting tribute to a man who gave his life for the freedom of others.  “Thank you Mr. Neese and crew!”

While in Normandy, Ameen and Montgomery will be hosted by Frances Nicolas, a resident of Bayeux, France who has opened up her home and heart for the two men.  Introduced to Mrs. Nicolas by Seaman Robert Watson, a D-Day Veteran of the 6^th Naval Beach Battalion, Frances is an associate member of the battalion.  She has reverently cared for four of ‘her boys’ interred within the cemetery.  On Easter Monday, 2009, she visited Amin’s grave with an Easter bouquet and quietly whispered, “Jim and Eric will be here soon”.

Coxswain Amin Isbir was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Isbir family received statements of condolence from President Roosevelt and the American Legion honoring his service and sacrifice.  The French Government also awarded Amin and all the members of the 6th Naval Beach Battalion the French Croix de Guerre for bravery.  The Croix de Guerre is especially cherished by the men of the Beach Battalion as it was for 56 years the only national decoration awarded to their unit for their accomplishments on D-Day.  The certificate and statements were displayed proudly upon the walls of the Isbir home.    In 2000, the 6th Naval Beach Battalion was finally awarded a Presidential Unit Citation yet the Isbir family never received the ribbon.  Lt. Cmdr. Vaghi and other members of the battalion including Ed Marriott and Vince Korkack received the Citation personally.

Amin Isbir was born on September 10, 1907 and was the third child of Mary and Michael Isbir.  He was the first child of Syrian-Lebanese heritage to be born in the United States.  His brother Espir, better known as Izzy, was a father figure to Montgomery during his childhood.  Amin’s younger brother J.B. married Montgomery’s grandmother and took under his care Montgomery’s mother during the post-depression period and throughout the war years.  Upon receiving the news of Amin’s death, Mrs. Isbir wore black clothing in symbolic mourning of her son.  Aunt Della and family never knew the complete story about Amin’s death until the fall of 2005.  Later that winter, Della passed away.  Her son, named after her fallen brother, followed her to heaven a few months later.

Amin Isbir joined the United States Naval Reserve on April 13^th, 1933 and was employed as a river-barge deck hand for the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation prior to the war.  News of Amin’s death reached the Isbir family on July 5^th, 1944.  The original newspaper clipping, saved by Montgomery’s grandmother Frances, survives.  Amin was 36 years old on D-Day.

Montgomery concludes, “I can’t say enough about the French and American patriots, who have helped my cousin and me correct history.  Across the globe many people will read this story and find it to be unbelievable.  I can only hope that Amin’s story, and that of our trip, inspires others to reflect upon their own family’s sacrifice during WWII.  These men were what President Roosevelt described in his D-Day prayer, as the ‘Pride of Our Nation’.  How right he was, and how proud Jim and I are to remember Amin, James and every WWII Veteran.”
 

Apart from being present during the replacement of Amin’s headstone, Ameen and Montgomery will assist in placing American flags upon the graves of 9,387 Americans who are interred on the plateau overlooking the place of Amin’s death.  They will also meet with a number of D-Day survivors courtesy of Mrs. Nicolas.  Prior to their arrival in Normandy, the men will travel to Metz to follow the footsteps of Montgomery’s Great Uncle John Louis “Dan” Povirk.   PFC Povirk was part of the 95^th Infantry Division, 377^th Regiment which liberated the city from German occupation in mid November 1944.  The cousins will be hosted by Mr. Mathieu Gitzhofer of nearby Le Ban-Saint-Martin.  Ameen and Montgomery couldn’t have found a better ambassador than Gitzhofer.  Montgomery adds, “Mathieu has devoted so much of his spare time towards honoring those men who liberated Metz.  His web site, www.ironmenofmetz.new.fr is a true labor of love for the men of the 95^th and a shining example of how much respect the French people have for American soldiers.”

Continue onto Part Two of This Incredible Journey...

Ameen and Montgomery wish to express their many thanks to the following:

The Isbir Family

Our Friends of the 6th Naval Beach Battalion:

Lt. Cmdr Joseph Vaghi

Pharmacist Mate Andy Chmiel - Pharmacist Mate Vince Kordack

Signalman Richard “Red” Onines - Motor Machinist Mate John Rogers

Motor Machinist Mate Clyde Whirty - Coxswain Ed Marriott - Radioman Torre Tobiassen

Hospital Apprentice Frank Walden - Seamen Curtis Fleming

Seaman Bob Giguere - Seaman Bob Watson
Mr. Ken Davey - 6th Naval Beach Battalion Historian  – www.6thbeachbattalion.org

Mr. Tom Beaty and the Witness to War Foundation - www.witness-to-war.org

MSgt. Susan L. Williams, U.S. Air Force Missing Persons Programs Manager (Retired)

Lt. Nathan L. Kaspar, United States Navy POW/MIA Case Analyst

Ms. Martha Sell - American Battle Monuments Commission - Washington D.C.
Mr. Daniel Neese – Superintendent - Normandy American Cemetery

Mrs. Frances Nicolas – Associate Member of the 6^th Naval Beach Battalion, Bayeux France

Mr. Mathieu Gitzhofer – 95^th Division Historian, Metz, France

Mr. Christian Millet – Mr. Michel Brunel – www.thefrenchwillneverforget.com

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"Few Who Remember"
 by Eric Montgomery
 

Those are few who remember the boys dressed in khaki and blue,
our nation's youth leaving their homes to uphold honor so true...

They carried the burden of a nation that stood silent behind closed eyes,

clutching arms under smoke filled skies...

As waves crashed upon distant shores,

mothers at home cried for boys no more...

Untested men emerged in silent fury,

with God Almighty being the Judge and Jury...

Heroes will be born on days like today,

only God knew what price they would pay...
 

A whispering bullet made its way along the line,

calling out for an American soldier who stood the test of distant time...

Click the image above for a high resolution photo of Amin's headstone.

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