"Charles Durning, D-Day Veteran, 89" Topic

Charles Durning passed away at his home in Manhattan.
He was the only survivor of his unit, first wave
at Omaha Beach. He was awarded three Purple Hearts
and the Silver Star medal.

Of his many roles in film, theater and television,
my personal favorites are his portrayal of the
Texas Governor in 'The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas'
(with a song and dance number !) and the crooked
cop chasing con men Robert Redford and Paul Newman
in 'The Sting'. A close third is his role as a semi-
retired cop chasing after 'Tough Guys' Burt Reynolds
and Kirk Douglas.

RIP, and thanks for surviving D-Day AND the POW camp
to provide us with some wonderful memories.

I just finished watching O Brother, Where Art Thou?

A fine actor. RIP.

Thank you Mr. Durning for your service and making me laugh durning Evening Shade. R.I.P.

A fine man has left us. The world is a sadder place for it.

Godspeed, Sir.

Another hero passes.

Helped save the world during the war, then spent the rest of his life entertaining the world.

Rest In Peace.

A hero and a fine actor. His take on Southern governors even made me laugh. RIP and thanks for your service.

He did a superb job on NCIS as a WWII MOH winner who had nightmares of time on IWO. Will miss his work.

Charles Durning was one of thos actors who could do almost anything and make it entertaining. He will be greatly missed and gladly remembered. Godpseed and Fair Winds to you Sir. Thank you for the years of entertainment and your excellent service to the country in WWII. May we be worthy.

He also survived the Ardennes at Malmedy,and did quite a job during the Memorial Day Concerts in Washington, DC. Rest easy,and thanks.

Rest easy.

However, while it is clear that Charles Durning served during WW2, there are many unanswered questions and tall tales regarding the details of his service. For example, he accepted the award of the Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur based on his having been an Army Ranger and having survived the Malmedy Massacre. These assertions were both untrue, yet he made no attempt to correct the citation. And then there's this:

"My father. John A. O'Connell, survived the Malmedy Massacre and I have done a lot of research over the years about the incident. Several years ago i saw a reference to Chares Durning being a survivor as well. i thought about contacting him, but knowing the way the incident haunted my father, instead chose to leave him alone. I did do some extensive research on Durning's involvement and wasn't able to find any mention of him.

My father died in 1985, but before he passed away , he was contacted by a man who was writing a book about the massacre. My father culled memories as best he could, and sent them along with telegrams and letters he had sent home while recovering from injuries. I have a copy of the resultant book "The Malmedy Massacre" by John M Bauserman. It is a very complete account of the incident and aftermath with multiple indices and complete lists of those killed as well as survivors. Mr. Durning's name appears nowhere in the book.

i am confident Mr Durning served his country honorably, as did my father. I have no idea how or by whom this apparent disinformation was disseminated. Perhaps, as others have suggested in this thread, it was a mistake by a publicist. I suppose it is easy enough for someone unfamiliar with WW2 history to confuse Normandy and Malmedy. However, I consider Mr Durning's failure to set the record straight regarding his involvement a disservice to my father and the others who were victims of this horrendous and historic event.

sincerely,
John A. O'Connell Jr. "

There was an earlier discussion here on TMP several years ago where someone pointed out that his name does not appear on the roll of recipients of the Silver Star.