D-Day June 6, 1944

[TE999]

Sixty-eight years ago Allied forces landed on the beaches of Nazi occupied France opening a second front, culminating in the utter destruction of Nazi Germany. It was the largest amphibious invasion in history and the prelude to it alone has spawned hundreds of books.

Many a brave man died that day so that Europe and the World could live free.

 

[PoppingTom]

thank you

 

[oggbashan]

And many a brave man carried scars of that day for the rest of his life.

One of my now deceased neighbours, a Major in the Royal Engineers, was injured on D-Day just after his unit had finished their bridge-building task. He returned to the front line just in time for crossing the Rhine and was injured again as his unit finished their bridge. He once said "My war lasted 14 hours but in those 14 hours I did all that I was asked to do."

He was awarded the Military Cross.

One of my eldest daughter's friends still lives in Kentucky. He was a tank commander at Omaha Beach on D-Day. His tank sank underneath him a long way from the shore. He was the only survivor to reach the beach and became a rifleman for the rest of D-Day. He still has the shrapnel in his body.

I have said thank you to them. I can't say thank you to those who died.

 

[Handley_Page]

There's a guy near where I live who was in the RAF and was landed on Omaha Beach early on Day 1.
His (slightly apologetic) story is a model of restraint and bravery (as well as good humour).

To him and the guys he left behind: Thank You

 

[R. Richard]

Sadly, there are fields of crosses and stars of david dotting the French countryside. A memorial to far too many brave allied soldiers who died during the D-Day invasion.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

To this day, the towns and beaches of Normandy are museums to that day. And any tourist who comes to see the countryside and was a veteran of that landing is overwhelmed with the reception. We saw the beaches with one such man and the French brought their grandchildren to see him and shake his hand in thanks and to be able to tell their grandchildren that one day they touched a hero. Anti-American French attitudes seem mostly confined to Paris.

 

[topace]

Thanks to all those who fought for freedom. May the memory of what you did for us live on forever.

 

[Edward Teach]

To the Greatest Generation.

 

[RodenAddison]

I look back with sadness on that day. I appreciate what was done and the ideals that were fought for. While many of the freedoms fought for are still intact from that time, many others have been lost. I am embarrassed that we have allowed that to happen.

Every life lost there was a tragic loss, on both sides. But I believe it was necessary to stand up and fight for what is right. May we all show our appreciation by standing up and protecting what is left of our rights in the future. If we don't, we denigrate the efforts and sacrifices made by our veterans, living or dead.

 

[Hubs_in_hose]

My great uncle was on the beach during D-Day. He was a great man. I only knew him when I was a small child and he was "retired" on his farm. My dad would take me out to the farm and we'd talk, and he would teach me all sorts of things that still hold true today. I only talked to him once about the war as I could tell that he didn't want to talk about it that much.

/Salute to all those that faced that danger