“I always called us glorified traffic cops--we had to keep things moving.” (Video interview, 53:40)

Mortimer M. Caplin

Mortimer Caplin [detail from video] War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Navy Unit: 7th Beach Battalion Service Location: Omaha Beach, Normandy, France; European Theater Rank: Lieutenant Senior Grade

As a lawyer with a background in boxing and swimming, Lieutenant Senior Grade Mortimer Caplin brought a wide variety of skills to the Navy. After a stint doing investigative work at the Norfolk Navy Yards, he was assigned to the amphibious corps, and given a specialized role: that of beachmaster for the Normandy invasion. As such, he acted as a nexus between land and sea--coordinating the arrival of ships, clearing the beach of obstacles and debris (sometimes including the wounded), and generally orchestrating the ebb and flow of troops. Nights were spent in foxholes on the beach, dodging bombs dropped from German planes overhead. Following the invasion, he served as a legal officer in England, defending Navy enlisted men.