Episode 3: “I Came Off in Waist-Deep Water.”

A photo of John Bistrica, Army Private First Class, from 1945

With John Bistrica, Army

Rifles and rations beyond the beach.

Ep 3: Nov. 18 2019

Army Private 1st Class John Bistrica was in the 1st Infantry Division –nicknamed “Big Red One” – on D-Day, June 6th, 1944. His story balances watchful anticipation and fierce action as he moves from Youngstown, Ohio to stateside base camps, then to the D-Day beaches and into Normandy, finding both feast and famine along the way.

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Read the transcript

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Juuni Ramocan was our excellent on-site engineer with John for this episode. Deanna McGovern did our vocals for Mae West. Thank you to John’s son, Joe, for all of his help.

Behind The Episode:

Read the transcript from John’s interview with the World War 2 museum in New Orleans.

Hear a story short story clip of John’s run-in with the Andrews Sisters at a USO show

Hear the song – Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! – that John so loves.

Read about the history of the Ration D Bar on Hersey and Business Insider.

Curious about Yorkshire Pudding? Try your hand at John’s favorite overseas discovery in this recipe by our friend J. Kenji López-Alt over at Serious Eats.

Read about the 1st Infantry Division, weaponry, and landing crafts that went in on D-Day, from History On The Net.