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History buffs

By Sharon Albert Brier, Staff writer | July 26, 2018

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Derry and Ann Essary, Jackie and Jay Smyre

Derry and Ann Essary and Jackie and Jay Smyre in Bletchley Park.

Ann Essary chose to learn about the Allied D-Day invasion in WWII, as her father, Capt. Ray Riggs (Second Infantry), a Texas A&M graduate ’41, lived it. He wore his Aggie class ring as he landed in Omaha Beach and fought all the way through the Battle of the Bulge into Czechoslovakia. He dreamed of seeing the beauty of France later, so when Ann placed his ring on the Omaha Beach soil, she knew his spirit was there. Derry Essary and Jackie and Jay Smyre joined her on the National Geographic trip. They visited all five beaches where the American and Allied forces came ashore. Other highlights were Bletchley Park, Churchill War Rooms, the ferry crossing of the English Channel and the Commonwealth, German and American cemeteries. The greatest generation lives on.

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