The Jeds

In one of my summer courses, we hve been reading through books dealing with the espionage and "shadow warfare" of World War II. Today we concluded our look at Colin Beaven's Operation Jedburgh. The author took us back in time to occupied France on the eve of and the weeks following D-Day. The Jeds were teams of three men each, an American officer, an European officer and a radio operator. These teams were dropped into France and other occupied territories, their mission being to organize and train indigenous resistance forces.

We were all amazed at the bravery and determination of these men in completing their mission. We also came to understand that the success of Operation Overlord rested largely on what these extraordinary soldiers were able to do.

This book also provided unvarnished glimpses into the horrors of war. Unless we are there on the battlefields with our soldiers, we can never understand what they experience. If you have the opportunity to express appreciation to someone who has defended or is currently defending our nation, please do so.