This may strike some as a little silly, but I had a thought I wanted to share.

Sitting at the computer just now, I checked the time on my desktop. I realized it was just about now, 64 years ago, that several hundred thousand American, British, French, and a number of other nations soldiers were launching one of the greatest military efforts in human history.

Several thousand American and British paratroopers were already engaged in one of the great clusterfucks of military history. Scattered units, many without their commanders, were fighting confused actions in the dark. With the odds against them, they never stopped fighting to achieve their objectives. They knew tens of thousands of their countrymen that would be landing shortly depended on them. The courage of those men turned a potential disaster into a great success.

It was just about now that elements of the 1st and 29th Divisions landed on a strip of Hell on Earth known as OMAHA. Their courage will be marked in history with the heroes of Thermopylae, Tours, Gettysburg, Verdun, and other great turning points. US Rangers were assaulting the Pointe Du Hoc, and countless other allied troops were fighting for a beachhead at GOLD, JUNO, SWORD, and UTAH.

At the end of the day, 2,500 Allied Soldiers from the invasion wave would lie dead. Another 10,000 wounded.

They paved the way for a force of over 2 million men that helped to vanquish one of the greatest evils mankind has ever inflicted on itself.

If you have the inclination as your day passes, please take a moment and honor these brave folks. If you are fortunate enough to know anyone who participated in that day, give them a call and thank them.


http://b.imagehost.org/0136/normandy.jpg

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!
I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Order of the Day
June 6, 1944

I honor June 6th every year. My grandfather was on Omaha beach. Only member of his landing craft to survive.

I have the honor of living only an hour away from the one and only Cpt.Richard Winters and had the honor to shake his hand at a veterans club a couple years ago.

I've never server but they let turds in like me as guests. There is really nothing you can say except thanks and wonder in awe.

One of my goals in life is to visit Normandy. Amazing feat of human will power those men must have had to draw from within. Absolutely mind boggling.

wow. without him surviving... there is no SNR. Long live Grandpappy!

Those men were truly the last great generation. My grandfather was on a battleship pounding the beach head. He had, until his death last year, the absolute respect for those Marines and Army men who actually set foot on forbidden land....

I've been there. It's extremely peaceful.

God bless those men

Fitting I suppose.

"Lip" retired here after he fondly recalled training at Camp McKall.
http://www.carwoodlipton.com/

I never get tired of watching BoB-the greatest generation indeed! at least some of these Gents lived to see themselves honored appropriately in films like BoB and Saving PR.

I'm amazed by how many people -adults even- that don't know what today is. My mom reminded every year when I was growing up, probably because my grandfather served during that time. He was a drill sgt. in NJ (Dix?) training troops to send to Europe.

Great post AH; thanks for putting it up.:clap:

WOW. That is amazing.

I study WWII, and I just can't imagine doing what they did. I just wish more people really knew what they sacrificed and honored it.

I KNOW!!! you are so right, my roommate thought it was the day Japan invaded Pearl Harbor. I couldn't believe it.

Thank God for the guys that landed on the beaches. They helped start the end of WWII.

:toast: