George Owen Retan seemed to have inherited his father’s intelligence, and he began to distinguish himself as a student when he enrolled as a freshman at Fork Union Military Academy in September of 1937 and was assigned to C Company.
His freshman year he earned a report card filled with mostly As and only the occasional grade of B.
The society pages of the Syracuse newspapers often carried news of Dr. George Retan, the wellknown physician, and his family. Dr. Retan and his wife earned frequent mentions in the local press for their participation in various cultural and charitable activities in Syracuse, so when young George Owen Retan made the honor roll at Fork Union Military Academy, that news was prominently reported in the hometown newspaper.

As the landing craft hit the beaches at Omaha  Beach and Utah Beach at dawn on June 6, 1944, George Retan and his comrades had already been in combat for several hours.

The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was one of a number of airborne units that jumped into German-held territory in the hours past midnight.
The Third Battalion of the 506th was to secure two bridges across the Douve River east of the town of Carentan, France. The Germans had built these bridges in recent months so they could quickly move reinforcements to the beach
to meet the expected invasion. It was critical that these bridges be seized and controlled if the beach landings were to succeed.
In the darkness, amid a hail of anti-aircraft fire, the transport planes bucked and swerved, trying to find their drop zones. Paratroopers jumped into uncertainty on that black night, very few landing anywhere close to their targets, most
landing miles away from their objective. Retan’s buddy, James Japhet, never made it into the fight. His plane was hit and the right engine and wing caught on fire. The paratroopers were unable to jump and the plane crashed, killing all
aboard. Joe Beyerle landed on a church in Saint-Cômedu-Mont and slid down the roof to the ground below. Alone, Beyerle tried to make his way toward his objective but was captured by the Germans and spent months in POW camps before escaping and joining up with Soviet Army forces with whom he fought through the remainder of the war. Joe Madona’s plane dropped him far from his intended drop zone and into the area of operations for the 82nd Airborne. He landed in a field flooded by the Germans to hinder paratroopers and had to act quickly to save himself and a nearby comrade from drowning on landing. Madona would survive Normandy but was killed
in action at Bastogne in January of 1945.
Ed Shames landed on the grounds of the Carnation Milk factory near Carentan, all alone. He quickly set about finding other paratroopers and leading the way, many miles, to the bridges that were their objective. Like his buddies, George Retan was dropped far away from his intended target, and within the first five minutes was wounded in the leg by shrapnel. He met up with Colonel Sink’s headquarters outfit and continued fighting for the next three days despite his wounds, until units from Utah Beach broke through and joined with them in the days following D-Day.

Retan was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, though he evidently never spoke of the deeds that earned his medal for valor with his good friend Ed Shames. Shames recalls that Retan didn’t talk much about his injury or D-Day experiences, just wearing a patch on his leg. But then, most of the paratroopers landing behind enemy lines, including Shames, had wounds to show for their first experience in
combat.

In the weeks following the Normandy Invasion, Retan’s wounds were treated but not all the shrapnel could be removed. He was offered the oppportunity to return to the United States for further treatment, but he elected to remain with his unit.
In the confusion and fog of war, Retan and Shames had each, separately, distinguished themselves in combat and demonstrated the special kind of leadership needed to command fighting men. They were both selected to receive
battlefield commissions following Normandy and were promoted from Staff Sergeant to 2nd Lieutenant rank, two of only three men in the regiment to receive this recognition.
Ed Shames was transferred to E Company in the 2nd Battalion of the 506th and placed in command of the company’s “patrol platoon.”

George Retan was moved to A Company in the 1st Battalion of the 506th as the Assistant Platoon Leader of the 2nd Platoon.
A Quiet and Humble Leader Bill Chivvis was a young soldier assigned to I Company as a replacement in the days following Normandy. As the Normandy veterans began
returning to Ramsbury, England, Bill Chivvis and his fellow replacements got to see Retan in action.

“After a time we became aware of Retan visiting the Company ‘I’ area to greet his returning friends. On each visit he would stop and talk to the ‘know nothing’ replacements and try to answer our stupid questions. There is no greater gulf than that which exists between combatants and non-combatants but this did not affect
Retan.”

Retan’s behavior made an impact on this fresh young recruit. “From these brief visits, I learned a lesson which would follow me through the Holland and Belgium campaigns: I always took the time to talk to incoming replacements.”
These few encounters with George Retan made a lifelong impression on Chivvis, who spoke of Retan in a 1995 letter to researcher and author Peter Hendrikx. “I will describe Retan as a quiet, humble young man, but very intelligent, very alert, and very focused. He was a natural leader who inspired confidence without even trying. Hewas a man of the highest character.”

His resting place is attended to regularly by citizens of that country who have
adopted the graves of the American fallen. His bright white headstone is cleaned regularly and flowers placed by these grateful citizens who insure that the sacrifice for freedom he made on their soil will not be soon.

Before departing for the war, George had left instructions that if he did not return his savings were to be donated to the academy. His parents carried out his wishes, and in 1949, the building now used by the band and known as Retan Flag Hall was dedicated as the Retan Library. A plaque honoring George Owen Retan can be found at the entrance door to the building.

He was initially buried at the temporary cemetery in Son, Netherlands , A-2-31

George Retan was not forgotten on the campus of Fork Union Military Academy. As a four-year cadet and a high-performing student, Retan had made quite an impression on the staff and faculty as well. It is clear that the affection was mutual, as George Retan had expressly requested, before heading overseas, that if anything happened to him, his savings should be donated to Fork Union Military Academy. Dr. George M. Retan was devastated by hisson’s death. He closed his private practice and spent much of his time building a log lodge on a remote lake in Canada, a kind of refuge for
him. But Dr. Retan and his wife honored their son’s wishes, and his savings were donated to the Academy, where they helped fund the construction of the school’s new library. On October 11, 1949, Dr. and Mrs. George M. Retan came to the campus of Fork Union Military Academy for the dedication of the Retan Library.

The Retan Rifles
In the fall of 1960, another young freshman
entered the Academy, the son of Lucille Retan
Ramseyer, George Retan’s beloved sister.
“From the moment I was born, I was destined
to be a cadet at Fork Union Military Academy,”
jokes George Owen Ramseyer.
The arrival of George Retan’s nephew and
namesake on campus apparently awakened fond
memories among the faculty and staff who recalled
his uncle’s arrival more than twenty years earlier. Early in 1961 it was decided that the Academy’s crack drill team, then called the Hatcher Rifles, would be renamed to honor George Owen Retan. In a special ceremony, a Retan Rifles banner was presented to young George Owen Ramseyer. The Retan Rifles carry that name to this day, and each year, a number of outstanding young cadets carry his name on their sleeves, a living memorial to honor his service and sacrifice. Recalling a Fallen Friend Standing beside the brass plaque on the wall dedicating the building to the memory of his friend, Ed Shames felt the memories come flooding back, these decades years later. “It’s incredible,” he said, of learning that his young comrade was one of FUMA’s most honored alumni. “It’s just indescribable.” Now a Colonel, though retired from his service to the nation, Shames had volunteered to come to FUMA to talk to cadets about his fallen friend. Standing in front of the entire Upper School Corps of Cadets, Shames wore a bright yellow jacket covered in patches honoring the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the 101st Airborne Division of which they were a part, and Easy Company, his own band of brothers. The jacket was a gift from the HBO producers of the miniseries about his famed unit. “They made $190 million telling our story,” quipped
Shames. “All I got was this jacket.” Shames shared stories of the training that he and George Retan had endured together at Currahee Mountain. He answered questions about Bastogne, the daring rescue of British paratroopers across the Rhine River, and many other exploits with Easy Company. Current members of the Retan Rifles crowded around after his talk, and Shames autographed copies of the book Tonight We Die As Men for which he had authored the foreward. Shames had brought the books, which tell the story of the Third Battalion of the 506th, as a special gift to the Retan cadets and the school’s library. Although he only lived a short twenty-one years, the lessons to draw from Retan’s life seem clear. Study hard, volunteer where you are needed, do your best, accept responsibility, lead from the front, be kind and gracious to all. When asked how the young men of FUMA could best honor the memory of George Owen Retan, Shames offered the following simple advice:
“Work hard. Try to be great at something.
If you can’t be great, be good.

If you can’t be agood leader, be a good follower.

But be good.
George was no angel, but he was good-hearted.
George Retan was a good man.”