The good guys saved freedom.
Take a moment tomorrow to thank them.
Take a moment tomorrow to thank them.
77 Years Ago
- Thread starter jpberg
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Incalculable bravery to wade ashore that day. I can’t even fathom it. Gives me goosebumps to think about it.
I don’t read fiction or fantasy novels, I read non-fiction and my main interests are WW1 and WW2. Having said that, it is almost unfathomable what those men felt when the door on the landing craft dropped and they advanced forward.
Amen to all the above. Thanks for the reminder!
And for perspective with a modern twist.
Colorized, enhanced and zoomed in.
Yes, these guys are under fire at the moment this was taken.
Unbelievable courage.
Colorized, enhanced and zoomed in.
Yes, these guys are under fire at the moment this was taken.
Unbelievable courage.
I constantly wonder if he made it to the beach...
My great uncle recently passed away at 96. He was a medic during the Normandy Invasion, aka Operation Overlord or D-Day. He never liked talking about his experience. I certainly understand why. God bless ?
I had a great uncle I never met who parachuted into Normandy. He stayed in Europe until December of 1945.
When he arrived home he had his uniform on and a chest full of medals. He took the uniform off and only wore it one more time.
About two months after he got home he gathered all the family that was still in Wisconsin. They had a big belated Thanksgiving and he gave everyone there a twenty dollar bill.
He never spoke about the war after that.
They buried him in his uniform when he died in 1976.
Everyone should read or listen to FDR's message to the country on June 6, 1944 which was in the form of a prayer: "Our sons, pride of our nation..." Still makes my heart beat faster.
and read the message which Ike carried in his pocket during those days. It illustrates just how unsure was the result of the invasion which would result , thankfully, in the saving of the world from evil thanks to the extraordinary courage of all involved .
FDR and Eisenhower, two very different men from very different perspectives who put their differences aside for America. Worth noting
and read the message which Ike carried in his pocket during those days. It illustrates just how unsure was the result of the invasion which would result , thankfully, in the saving of the world from evil thanks to the extraordinary courage of all involved .
FDR and Eisenhower, two very different men from very different perspectives who put their differences aside for America. Worth noting
Dwight Eisenhower was no writer, but if you want to get a feel for what excruciating planning went into D-Day, read his "Crusade In Europe." They worked on the invasion for years, both the military side evaluating the beach, the tides, the weather patterns, but equally the international politics, the politics between military leaders of various nations, and so on. Even Patton, in temporary disgrace for slapping a shell-shocked GI, was used as a decoy to mislead the Nazis as to where the landing would be made. The book is endless detail, and can get pretty dry, but at least you know that despite the grim chances for GI's making the landing, thousands of people had spent years making it the best bet it could be. I guess a few true warriors were only looking for some Nazis to shoot, whereas everyone else was casting their fate to the winds and moving forward. Homework payed. Even when he was a former President, Eisenhower wept when he spoke of the sacrifices.
Us kiwis are somewhat removed from the d-day celebrations, as we remember the cost in April to coincide with the Gallipoli landing. That being said, we happened to be in Normandy the week leading up to the 75th anniversary. One of the most humbling experiences of my life
As a young boy, we made several pilgrimages to Normandy (father was stationed in Germany). I didn't quite appreciate the significance then. If you ever get to New Orleans, don't miss the WWII museum (was the D-Day museum). The opening movie narrated by Tom Hanks is frightening (my mother, a Hungarian WWII refugee cried). They have several Higgins boats on display and they did have a landing craft pilot on hand several days of the week. I'm not sure many of those guys are still with us.
My Dad was a 101st Airborne Paratrooper. He parachuted into Normandy. He participated in 3 of the 4 major WWII battles. I asked him about how those men could leave those boats and run into the really machine gun fire. He said patriotism was different then. They truly felt they were fighting for their freedom and giving their life was worth it.
If you remember in Saving Private Ryan, those that parachuted in were in a dense fog. He said that was real and the dangerous challenge was telling the Germans from the friendlies. The US soldiers had clickers to help identify themselves from the enemy. Older folks here have probably seen them.
Most of us have no clue what the Greatest Generation sacrificed for us to be able to enjoy the freedoms and lifestyle we now have.
If you remember in Saving Private Ryan, those that parachuted in were in a dense fog. He said that was real and the dangerous challenge was telling the Germans from the friendlies. The US soldiers had clickers to help identify themselves from the enemy. Older folks here have probably seen them.
Most of us have no clue what the Greatest Generation sacrificed for us to be able to enjoy the freedoms and lifestyle we now have.
Those guys were real men. All people who served, wherever, stood tall.
My Stepfather landed on D-Day, and like others have said, he never wanted to talk about it.
God bless these men....................
My Fathers brother was there, only one he ever talked to about it was when I came back from S Asia, we did what the Aussies say was a walkabout on the headland of my Grandfathers farm. Maybe he felt I had seen some of the tramus of war, but no I was humbled and my service seemed piteful compared to what he had been through. He was not fully right in the head, but he lived a good life. God Bless America??!
My grandfather landed on D+3. He was a replacement infantry officer. Despite the woefully short life expectancy of infantry lieutenants during the campaign, he survived, albeit with two Purple Hearts and a few other medals. He never spoke about any of his experiences until towards the end of his life when he told me his story.
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