Eighty-two years this weekend, the largest amphibious liberation force in world history landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. Among those D-Day liberators are two extraordinary and unassuming Virginians honored by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia earlier this week.
James Flinchum was born on October 15, 1923, and raised in Floyd County, Virginia. He began his World War II service in the Army Air Forces as an aviation engineer, stationed in England. At extreme personal risk, Mr. Flinchum pulled Allied pilots from burning aircraft as they returned from battle, including the legendary P-51 Mustang. He survived a crane collapse during a Normandy off-loading operation, seeking cover on a beachhead as German bombs exploded around him “like fireworks.”
Later in the war, Mr. Flinchum saw combat during the bloody Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Mountains. Mr. Flinchum fought and served, with honor, and distinction. After the war, he returned to Virginia, raised a family, and had a successful career at the National Gallery of Art. At 103 years young, Mr. Flinchum now resides in Salem, Virginia.
George Alcon Hubbard was born in Union Hall, Virginia, on January 25, 1926. At age 17, Mr. Hubbard enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He attended basic training at the Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland, followed by amphibious assault training at Fort Pierce, Florida. During the D-Day invasion, Mr. Hubbard piloted a Higgins Boat transporting allied troops to the shores of Utah Beach, in Normandy. His famed unit formed part of “The Red Ball Express,” which supplied General Patton’s Third Army as it advanced to victory across Europe.
Mr. Hubbard deployed to the Pacific theater and again saw battle during the invasion of Okinawa in the spring of 1945. On May 12, 1945, he bore witness as two Japanese kamikazes struck the USS New Mexico, killing 54 Americans and leaving over 100 wounded. Mr. Hubbard later deployed to the Philippines and served on the Japanese mainland following Japan’s surrender.
After the war, he returned to Virginia and joined the Roanoke City Police Department, where he retired with the rank of captain in 1984. Mr. Hubbard served his country, community, and the Roanoke Police Department with courage and distinction.
Earlier this week, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia was honored to present Mr. Flinchum and Mr. Hubbard with Department of Justice Freedom 250 Hometown Heroes Awards to honor their sacrifice in defense of America and our freedoms. Roanoke Police Chief Scott Booth presented Captain Hubbard with an award recognizing his extraordinary service to the Roanoke City Police Department and the citizens of that community.
Acting United States Marshal for the Western District of Virginia Matt Davis and Virginia National Guard Brig. General Russel “Rusty” McGuire, and Roanoke City Police Chief Scott Booth spoke of the extraordinary sacrifice of these men. Gen. McGuire stated: “over 450,000 [Americans] did not come home. These two men are the legacy of every one of them.”
Like so many of America’s greatest generation, the measure of Mr. Flinchum’s and Mr. Hubbard’s sacrifice is exceeded only by their humility. When discussing their wartime experience, they often express the sentiment that they were “just doing their job.” Earlier this week, Mr. Hubbard said simply: “I was a teenage volunteer. But that was what you did in World War II. It’s just what you did.”
When America’s Founding ideals — and civilization itself — were in peril, Mr. Flinchum and Mr. Hubbard rose to service in defense of both. They helped defeat a venal ideology that had declared war on the self-evident truths of our Founding — and humanity itself. They played a direct role in an unparalleled campaign that freed a continent, liberated the death camps and saved our world. As acting U.S. marshal for the Western District of Virginia observed, “we are here, because of them.”
The patriots of 1776, Mr. Flinchum, Mr. Hubbard, the heroes of Bedford, Virginia, and all those who defend our country and freedoms are of common lineage. They recognize that defending freedom requires courage, and that preserving liberty requires sacrifice. In the year of America’s 250th anniversary, let our country — and each of us — be worthy of that sacrifice.
Robert Tracci is first assistant United States attorney for the Western District of Virginia.
