June 6, 2021 marks the 77th anniversary of D-Day, the day on which 155,000 American, British, and Canadian troops landed on Normandy's shores to fight the German invaders and eventually bring Nazi tyranny in Europe to an end. While time marches on, it is important that we never forget their sacrifice. It is equally important that we keep in mind the role that Piermont and Camp Shanks in Orangeburg played in the preparations leading up to this important event.
Over 75% of the brave American men who fought on the beaches that day had departed the United States from Piermont and New York Harbor. Prior to their departure, they spent approximately 12 days at Camp Shanks.
The Camp opened in January of 1943 with 2,500 buildings across an area of approximately three square miles. It included barracks, administrative buildings, a chapel, stores, a laundry, bakery, and a hospital. Some 1.3 million men passed through the camp during the war years. After receiving their deployment orders, soldiers boarded vessels directly at Piermont Pier, or took trains or ferries to the ships awaiting them in New York Harbor.
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In 2013, Piermont placed a commemorative plaque in honor of Camp Shanks in the park near the Pier where so many brave soldiers departed for Europe. As the late Jerry Donellan, former Director of Veteran Affairs for Rockland County, said at the dedication ceremony, "This was the last piece of ground that many Americans saw before leaving for war..." Many of those courageous men never returned.
So, if you decide to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend, and take a stroll along Piermont Pier, consider pausing a moment and giving silent thanks to the thousands who marched there 77 years ago. We owe the prosperity and relative peace that we have enjoyed following World War II to them--men of honor, bound by duty, and of unsurpassed courage.