D-Day.....
It was 61 years ago today that the world's largest and arguably most important military operation, "Overlord", took place. It is imperative that we remember this anniversary each and every year. Soldiers who were 17 years old when they landed on the beaches at Normandy are now 78 years old. Most are older than that now and many are gone. My own dad, a veteran of the famed 45th Infantry Division, is now 82. He missed D-Day because he had landed on the beaches of Italy a year earlier. These men are leaving us all to quickly.
The most common visual image thought of today about D-Day is of the landing craft hitting the beaches of Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword. My favorite image, however, is the one above of the supreme commander, General Eisenhower, as he delivers a parting address to the airborne troopers of the 101st Airborne Division.
Having been an airborne trooper with many night jumps myself, I can only image the trepidation of these men as they prepare to jump into the dark knowing full well a goodly portion of them would never see home again. In those days of more primative communications, the best they could have done was to write a final letter home, having not heard the voices of their loved ones, in some cases for years.
As I think of D-Day 61 years ago, I think of all the men who fought all over the world all those years ago. We owe these men a tremendous debt.
It was 61 years ago today that the world's largest and arguably most important military operation, "Overlord", took place. It is imperative that we remember this anniversary each and every year. Soldiers who were 17 years old when they landed on the beaches at Normandy are now 78 years old. Most are older than that now and many are gone. My own dad, a veteran of the famed 45th Infantry Division, is now 82. He missed D-Day because he had landed on the beaches of Italy a year earlier. These men are leaving us all to quickly.
The most common visual image thought of today about D-Day is of the landing craft hitting the beaches of Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword. My favorite image, however, is the one above of the supreme commander, General Eisenhower, as he delivers a parting address to the airborne troopers of the 101st Airborne Division.
Having been an airborne trooper with many night jumps myself, I can only image the trepidation of these men as they prepare to jump into the dark knowing full well a goodly portion of them would never see home again. In those days of more primative communications, the best they could have done was to write a final letter home, having not heard the voices of their loved ones, in some cases for years.
As I think of D-Day 61 years ago, I think of all the men who fought all over the world all those years ago. We owe these men a tremendous debt.
