Lt. Max A. Jeter Biography-4
​​D-Day: NCDUs on Omaha & Utah Beach ​
On June 6, 1944, the NCDUs at Omaha Beach penetrated the Germans' defenses, blowing up eight complete gaps and two partial gaps in German lines.
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Lt. Max Jeter's NCDU 26 Team on Utah Beach
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At Utah Beach, where the defenses were far less concentrated, 700 yards of beach was cleared in two hours and another 900 yards by the afternoon. The demolition sailors sustained four killed and eleven wounded. All of Jeter's Skeeters survived the assault.
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After D-Day: Max and his team went back to England and Italy for more training. Jeter’s Skeeters were sent to the invasion of Southern France in August 1944. After that they returned to the US for Underwater Demolition Training (UDT). Max was placed on medical hold while the rest of his team was deployed to the Pacific. He stayed at Fort Pierce FL as an instructor, and then to New York City as a District Bomb Disposal Officer until the war ended.​​
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U.S. Special Operations Command Europe
80th Anniversary of D-Day Ceremony
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This video honors the service and sacrifice Naval Combat Demolition Units made during the D-Day landings:​
This dramatic D-Day photo of Max Jeter & his NCDU team was taken by a Time-Life photographer.
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​​The photo is annotated with Max's handwritten captions.
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Pvt. Paul R. Thomer Biography-1
Paul Thomer's Watch Returned to His Family - Sept 2023
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On Sept 9, 2023, Pvt. Thomer’s watch was returned to his daughter Deborah and her four siblings, exactly 80 years after Paul purchased it. They will treasure it as a tangible memory of their courageous Dad. Semper Fi.
Pvt. Paul Thomer -- 1942 Guadalcanal Marine & His Watch
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Private Paul R. Thomer (1923–1992) fought at Guadalcanal as a member of the famed 1st Marine Division. Paul was from Pittsburgh PA, and enlisted in the Marines in January 1942.
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The 1st Marine Division sailed from San Francisco in June, and landed on the island of Guadalcanal on Aug 7, 1942. This was the first major US amphibious landing of World War II. The invasion ignited a ferocious struggle with Japanese forces, marked by seven major naval battles, numerous clashes ashore, and almost continuous air combat through December 1942.
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The fighting at Guadalcanal took a terrible toll; the 1st Division suffered 650 killed in action and 1,278 wounded, with a further 8,580 contracting malaria and other diseases. As one Marine recalled, ”the Division suffered 100% casualties, with the dead, wounded, and those sick from malaria, dengue fever, jungle rot, malnutrition and combat fatigue… “.
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Battle-weary and in poor health following the Guadalcanal campaign, the men of the First Marine Division were shipped to Melbourne Australia for nine months recuperation in January 1943. “They were greeted with warm hospitality; these 15,000 young American men found a home away from home”.
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On Feb 10, 1943, Paul Thome purchased a steel-cased wristwatch from a local Melbourne jewelry store, and had it engraved “Paul R. Thomer ~ U.S.M.C. ~ 343824 ~ Australia ~ 2-10-43”.
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The 1st Division returned to combat in the South Pacific in October 1943, leading the December offensive at Cape Gloucester, New Britain. “The action they found there has been described as the toughest man has ever endured.” In July 1944, the 1st Division returned to the US for stateside duty. Paul was honorably discharged in 1945.
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In 1954, Paul married Frances Mary LaRoche in Pittsburgh; in 1962, they moved to California. Paul and Frances had five children – two sons and three daughters. Paul died on February 16, 1992, and is buried with Frances in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, CA.
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