Wallace Strobel
Wallace C. Strobel (June 5, 1922 – August 27, 1999) was a First Lieutenant in the US Army during World War II, serving in the 101st Airborne's 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Strobel appeared in full battle dress in a highly iconic image from the war. The now-famous photo with General Dwight D. Eisenhower was taken the night before their jump into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The picture captured Eisenhower speaking to paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division on the eve of the invasion and remains one of the most compelling and classic images from World War II, as well as one of the most famous of General Eisenhower.
Strobel described the photo as follows:[1]
"The picture was taken at Greenham Common Airfield in England about 8:30 p.m. on June 5, 1944. My 22nd birthday.
It was shortly before we were to leave the tented assembly area to which, for security reasons, we had been confined for about 5 days. We had darkened our faces and hands with burned cork, cocoa and cooking oil to be able to blend into the darkness and prevent reflection from the moon. We were all very well prepared emotionally for the operation.
The drop packs, that were to be attached to the planes and contained our machine guns, mortars and ammunition, had been prepared earlier, marked with our plane numbers and delivered to the plane. Our plane number was 23 and I was the jumpmaster of that plane. This fact accounts for the sign around my neck in the picture which carries the number 23."
In 1990, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp using this photograph of the historic moment.[2]
References
- The Baltimore Sun (September 5, 1999) by Frederick N. Rasmussen