June 6th, 1944. These men had balls of steel. 70th anniversary.

[teedubya]

War is hell. I don't like war. Sometimes war is necessary. And Hitler was one son of a bitch who had to be stopped. All politics aside. The 70th anniversary of this is in a couple of weeks. Let's have a good memorial of these great heroes who gave their lives, so that we could have our lives that we have now.



Balls of Steel.

All Divisions Involved in D-Day >> http://www.army.mil/d-day/divisions.html

June 6th, 1944. 70 years ago.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Heh, I know your somewhat trolling, but also somewhat right.

I'll forever be eternally grateful for what these guys did, but this current generation would be able to accomplish the same things if we were faced with a threat like that.

The WWII guys sacrificed and died so we wouldn't have to ever face that again.

But the guys who fought and died in Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait,Iraq, Afghanistan, etc should be thought of no less.

All equally brave.
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I really don't want to derail this, but we weren't threatened by the NAZIs at all.

[Cheater5]

Yes, all equally brave. But far, far fewer today. There were close to 12 million men in arms I believe (Army, Navy, USMC) during WWII. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, men enlisted in droves. Following the attack on the WTC and the Pentagon? Not so much.

The meaning of 'duty' today is far different to the American population than it was in 1944.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Cheater5

Yes, all equally brave. But far, far fewer today. There were close to 12 million men in arms I believe (Army, Navy, USMC) during WWII. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, men enlisted in droves. Following the attack on the WTC and the Pentagon? Not so much.

The meaning of 'duty' today is far different to the American population than it was in 1944.

Not really. I think the majority of Americans would still answer the call if push came to shove. but thankfully most will never have to.

There are not as many lives lost because wars are fought much differently today. We don't have these massive man to man battles because of technology and air power, the threat of nuclear power, etc...
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[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Donger

I really don't want to derail this

Then .

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Not really. I think the majority of Americans would still answer the call if push came to shove. but thankfully most will never have to.

There are not as many lives lost because wars are fought much differently today. We don't have these massive man to man battles because of technology and air power, the threat of nuclear power, etc...
Posted via Mobile Device

But by the same token, stuff like PTSD might be less of an issue if they could rotate entire companies out on a regular basis.

Apparently one of the WW2 five star generals wanted a 250 division army.

[Cheater5]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Not really. I think the majority of Americans would still answer the call if push came to shove. but thankfully most will never have to.

There are not as many lives lost because wars are fought much differently today. We don't have these massive man to man battles because of technology and air power, the threat of nuclear power, etc...
Posted via Mobile Device

My experience compels me to disagree. But that's for another thread.

I'll try to find some pics from my visit to Normandy and post them up. Haven't looked at them in many years.

[GloucesterChief]

No doubt the guys who stormed the beach in France were brave but I think those that were in the trenches in WWI probably had it worse. There is a reason why that generation was called the Lost Generation.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

But by the same token, stuff like PTSD might be less of an issue if they could rotate entire companies out on a regular basis.

Apparently one of the WW2 five star generals wanted a 250 division army.

The bombing of the beach before the landing was a complete and utter failure.

• An hour before the first soldiers landed 446 heavy bombers dropped their payloads on the pillboxes and beach. Because of heavy cloud cover they were told to delay their bombs a few seconds to avoid our troops. Some missed by more than 3 miles. Not a single bomb hit the targets on the beach.
• 9000 rockets and artillery were launched at the beach and pillboxes.
• 1,745 tons of bombs were dropped on the Germans.

Not a single German was killed, not a single pillbox was taken out.


That failure set up the killing zone perfectly that Rommel had designed. 2499 Americans died on that beach. Another 2000 Allied troops. 4413 men dead taking a beach.

We paid a very high price in lives but within a month we had put 1 MILLION soldiers on the ground through that hole in Hitlers defense.

[otherstar]

Yeah, those guys were heroes! I read a history of the SEALS recently and about the job the underwater demolition teams had before the Normandy invasion: small teams of guys in rubber rafts had to sneak up on the beach and try to blow up the underwater defenses and mines that would have kept the landing crafts from hitting the beaches at all...seriously crazy stuff!

The other factor in WWII that is getting overlooked in this thread is that NOT ONLY were US troops committed to the war in Europe against the Nazi's AND the Italian Fascists, but troops and naval resources were also committed to fighting in the Pacific against a very dedicated Japanese military. The US successfully waged a war in multiple theaters of operation simultaneously! (and often with inferior equipment -- the M4 Sherman tank was inferior to the Panzer's the German's had during the Battle of the Bulge).

[Halfcan]

Originally Posted by confused

Ahem? More people died in Ted Kennedy's back seat than in the alleged homicidal gas chambers.

[BigRedChief]

True off Reddit? 93 year old is going going to parachute in the same gear as D-Day onto the beach? Sounds like BS to me.

[LiveSteam]

Originally Posted by Donger

I really don't want to derail this, but we weren't threatened by the NAZIs at all.

Thats just not true. The Reich was working towards the A-bomb & a long rang bomber that could make it to NY.
Or maybe you're joking around? IIRC Texans witnessed U-boats sinking Merchant ships right off the gulf coast

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

True off Reddit? 93 year old is going going to parachute in the same gear as D-Day onto the beach? Sounds like BS to me.

True story but the wrong picture of Jim Martin.
Normandy, France (CNN) -- Jim "Pee Wee" Martin acted like he'd been here before, like jumping from a plane is as easy as falling off a log.
Maybe that's because he had -- 70 years ago.

"I'm feeling fine," Martin told reporters moments after landing in a French field. "... It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful."

Martin was part of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division that parachuted down over Utah Beach in their bid to retake France and, eventually, the rest of Europe from Nazi Germany. They actually touched down in enemy-controlled territory a night before what's referred to as D-Day.

[His jump Thursday in the same area was different and -- despite his being 93 years old now -- a whole lot easier.
"It didn't (compare)," Martin said, "because there wasn't anybody shooting at me today."

[BigRedChief]

D-Day then and now

http://news.msn.com/world/d-day-then-now#image=1

[Dayze]

yeah I saw a brief interview with the 93 old. they asked him why and he said something to the effect of "Ego. I wanted to prove at 93 I could still do it. and, to show that just because you're 93 you don't have to sit around waitng to die".

that's a cool MF.